Biomechanical advantages of medial support screws in locking plate for treating proximal humerus fractures / 医用生物力学

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the biomechanical advantages of medial support screws (MSSs) in locking proximal humeral plate for treating proximal humerus fractures. Methods Thirty synthetic left humeri were randomly divided into 3 groups to establish the fracture models. Group A was fixed with a locking proximal humerus plate with medial cortical support, but without MSSs; group B was fixed with 3 MSSs, but without medial cortical support; group C was fixed with neither medial cortical support nor MSSs. Axial compression, torsion, shear stiffness and failure tests were applied on the specimens of the three groups. Results For axial compression tests, the maximum load of group A, B, C was (240.88±19.13), (169.04±19.26), (128.58±17.53) N, respectively; the axial stiffness of group A, B, C was (424.4±101.2), (230.7±40.54), (147.0±29.2) N/mm, respectively, showing significant differences (P0.05). For shear stiffness tests, the maximum load of group A, B, C was (444.71±20.87), (228.79±28.95), (188.73±26.15) N, respectively; the shear stiffness of group A, B, C was (70.0± 54.4), (183.89±29.64), (140.2±32.1) N/mm, respectively, showing significant differences (P0.05). Conclusions Using three MSSs in locking plate for proximal humerus fractures shows optimal biomechanical properties, as compared to the situation without restoration of the medial column support. The reconstruction of the medial cortical support or MSSs for proximal humerus fractures helps to enhance the mechanical stability of the humeral head and prevent failure after internal fixation.