Biomechanical comparison of three fixation techniques used for four-corner arthrodesis

Clinical results following four-corner arthrodesis vary and suggest that nonunion may be related to certain fixation techniques. The purpose of our study was to examine the displacement between the lunate and capitate following a simulated four-corner arthrodesis with the hypothesis that three types...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journal of hand surgery, European volume Vol. 36; no. 7; p. 560
Main Authors Kraisarin, J, Dennison, D G, Berglund, L J, An, K N, Shin, A Y
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.09.2011
Subjects
Aged
Arthrodesis - instrumentation
Arthrodesis - methods
Biomechanical Phenomena
Bone Plates
Bone Wires
Cadaver
Equipment Failure Analysis
Female
Humans
Male
Osteoarthritis - surgery
Surgical Stapling
Tensile Strength
Wrist Joint - surgery
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Summary:Clinical results following four-corner arthrodesis vary and suggest that nonunion may be related to certain fixation techniques. The purpose of our study was to examine the displacement between the lunate and capitate following a simulated four-corner arthrodesis with the hypothesis that three types of fixation (Kirschner wires, dorsal circular plate, and a locked dorsal circular plate) would allow different amounts of displacement during simulated wrist flexion and extension. Cadaver wrists with simulated four-corner arthrodeses were loaded cyclically either to implant failure or until the lunocapitate displacement exceeded 1 mm. The locked dorsal circular plate group was significantly more stable than the dorsal circular plate and K-wire groups (p = 0.018 and p = 0.006). While these locked dorsal circular plates appear to be very stable our results are limited only to the biomechanical behavior of these fixation techniques within a cadaver model.
ISSN:2043-6289
DOI:10.1177/1753193411406799