Dorsal Plating, Lateral Plating, and Intramedullary Screw Fixation of Extra-Articular Proximal Phalangeal Fractures: A Cadaveric Biomechanical Comparison.

PURPOSE: To provide a biomechanical comparison of dorsal plating, lateral plating and intramedullary screw [IMS] fixation for extra-articular proximal phalangeal fractures.

METHODS

Midshaft osteotomies were performed on 36 cadaveric proximal phalanges. The phalanges were fixed by dorsal plating, lateral plating or IMS fixation, and subjected to a four-point bending force. Force was applied to achieve displacement of 1 mm/s, until construct failure or to a maximum of 10 mm of displacement. Clinical failure was defined as 2 mm of displacement, and force required to result in 1 mm and 2 mm of displacement was recorded, as was mode of failure.

RESULTS

Dorsal plating [127.5 N ± 52.6; 46.51-229.17] and lateral plating [77.1 N ± 25.1; 48.3-113.8] required significantly greater force to achieve 1 mm of displacement when compared to IMS [41.2 N ± 12.4; 20.6-62.3]. Dorsal plating [339.2 N ± 91.8; 158.5-538.6] required significantly greater force than lateral plating [154.5 N ± 33.8; 99.0 -204.4] and intramedullary screw fixation [110.0 ± 38.6; 51.1-189.3] to result in 2 mm of displacement. Lateral and dorsal plating constructs failed through plate bending, screw cut-out or plate failure, whilst IMS failed via implant deformity. All three constructs required greater force to result in even 1 mm of displacement than what is likely subjected through rehabilitation via active motion.

CONCLUSIONS

Lateral plating and IMS fixation offer sufficient stiffness to withstand the likely forces subjected via early active motion without displacement.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dorsal plating required significantly greater force than lateral plating and intramedullary screw fixation to achieve 1 mm of displacement when used in extra-articular proximal phalangeal fractures in an in vitro setting. However, all three modalities confer enough stability to likely withstand the forces associated with active range of motion.