Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Aug 3;17(1):374.
doi: 10.1186/s13018-022-03267-2.

Biomechanical study on fixation methods for horizontal oblique metacarpal shaft fractures

Yung-Cheng Chiu  1   2 , Cheng-En Hsu  3   4 , Tsung-Yu Ho  2 , Yen-Nien Ting  5 , Ming-Tzu Tsai  6 , Jui-Ting Hsu  7   8   9
Affiliations

Biomechanical study on fixation methods for horizontal oblique metacarpal shaft fractures

Yung-Cheng Chiu et al. J Orthop Surg Res. .

Abstract

Objective: To investigate differences in the effectiveness of two lag screws, a regular bone plate, and locking bone plate fixation in treating horizontal oblique metacarpal shaft fractures.

Materials and methods: Horizontal oblique metacarpal shaft fractures were created in 21 artificial metacarpal bones and fixed using one of the three methods: (1) two lag screws, (2) a regular plate, and (3) a locking plate. All the specimens were subjected to the cantilever bending test performed using a material testing machine to enable recording of the force-displacement data of the specimens before failure. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare failure force and stiffness values among the three fixation methods.

Results: The mean failure force of the two lag screw group (78.5 ± 6.6 N, mean + SD) was higher than those of the regular plate group (69.3 ± 17.6 N) and locking plate group (68.2 ± 14.2 N). However, the mean failure force did not significantly differ among the three groups. The mean stiffness value of the two lag screw group (17.8 ± 2.6 N/mm) was lower than those of the regular plate group (20.2 ± 10.5 N/mm) and locking plate group (21.8 ± 3.8 N/mm). However, the mean stiffness value did not significantly differ among the three groups.

Conclusion: The fixation strength of two lag screw fixation did not significantly differ from that of regular and locking bone plate fixation, as indicated by the measurement of the ability to sustain force and stiffness.

Keywords: Horizontal oblique metacarpal shaft fracture; Lag screw; Locking plate; Regular plate; Screw.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Defined oblique metacarpal shaft fracture types
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Artificial metacarpal bones with horizontal oblique metacarpal shaft fractures: a dorsal and b lateral views
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Photographs of the three fixation approaches: a anterior–posterior view of lag screw fixation; b lateral view of lag screw fixation; c anterior–posterior view of regular plate fixation; d lateral view of regular plate fixation; e anterior–posterior view of locking plate fixation; and f lateral view of locking plate fixation
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
a Biomechanical cantilever bending test; b force–displacement curve of lag screw fixation; and c force–displacement curve of locking plate fixation
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Bone screw on the dorsal plate cannot serve as a lag screw (white arrow) (left) and bone screw on the dorsal plate can serve as a lag screw (white arrow) (right)
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
a The locking plate specimen was placed on the material testing system, and the fixture on which force was applied slipped off the force-bearing point of the artificial metacarpal bone. b Although the locking plate was permanently deformed, a fracture did not occur in the specimen
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Dreyfuss D, Allon R, Izacson N, Hutt D. A comparison of locking plates and intramedullary pinning for fixation of metacarpal shaft fractures. Hand. 2019;14(1):27–33. doi: 10.1177/1558944718798854. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Heckman JD, McKee M, McQueen MM, Ricci W, Tornetta P., III . Rockwood and Green's fractures in adults. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2014.
    1. Hussain MH, Ghaffar A, Choudry Q, Iqbal Z, Khan MN. Management of fifth metacarpal neck fracture (boxer's fracture): a literature review. Cureus. 2020;12:7. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wong KP, Hay RAS, Tay SC. Surgical outcomes of fifth metacarpal neck fractures—a comparative analysis of dorsal plating versus tension band wiring. Hand Surg. 2015;20(01):99–105. doi: 10.1142/S0218810415500148. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zhang J-F, Li Y, Huo Y-X, Yan M, Liang S-L, Wang L, Wang B-C. Biomechanical analysis of locking plates for fixation of metacarpal shaft fractures: a finite element analysis. Orthop Traumatol Surg Res. 2022;2022:103340. doi: 10.1016/j.otsr.2022.103340. - DOI - PubMed