BMC Veterinary Research · 6 authors, 6 centres
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This preclinical biomechanical study tested a 3.5 mm polyaxial locking plate in a synthetic bone gap model and found that adding locking plugs to empty screw holes did not significantly increase the construct's bending stiffness, strength, or structural stiffness under single-cycle four-point bending.
Twelve constructs were tested in a 25 mm fracture gap using synthetic bone substitutes and subjected to single-cycle four-point bending to failure. Limitations include the use of synthetic bone, a single-cycle loading protocol (not cyclic fatigue), and a pure bending load that may not fully represent in-vivo forces. The findings suggest locking plugs may not provide a clinically relevant benefit for increasing strength in this specific bridging osteosynthesis scenario under the tested conditions.
