• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.199-209
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• 2010

The locking compression plates-distal femur(LCP-DF) are being widely used for surgical management of the extra-articular complex fractures of the distal femur. They feature locking mechanism between the screws and the screw holes of the plate to provide stronger fixation force with less number of screws than conventional compression bone plate. However, their biomechanical efficacies are not fully understood, especially regarding the number of the screws inserted and their optimal configurations. In this study, we investigated effects of various screw configurations in the shaft and the condylar regions of the femur in relation to structural stability of LCP-DF system. For this purpose, a baseline 3-D finite element (FE) model of the femur was constructed from CT-scan images of a normal healthy male and was validated. The extra-articular complex fracture of the distal femur was made with a 4-cm defect. Surgical reduction with LCP-DF and bone screws were added laterally. To simulate various cases of post-op screw configurations, screws were inserted in the shaft (3~5 screws) and the condylar (4~6 screws) regions. Particular attention was paid at the shaft region where screws were inserted either in clustered or evenly-spaced fashion. Tied-contact conditions were assigned at the bone screws-plate whereas general contact condition was assumed at the interfaces between LCP-DF and bone screws. Axial compressive load of 1,610N(2.3 BW) was applied on the femoral head to reflect joint reaction force. An average of 5% increase in stiffness was found with increase in screw numbers (from 4 to 6) in the condylar region, as compared to negligible increase (less than 1%) at the shaft regardless of the number of screws inserted or its distribution, whether clustered or evenly-spaced. At the condylar region, screw insertion at the holes near the fracture interface and posterior locations contributed greater increase in stiffness (9~13%) than any other locations. Our results suggested that the screw insertion at the condylar region can be more effective than at the shaft during surgical treatment of fracture of the distal femur with LCP-DF. In addition, screw insertion at the holes close to the fracture interface should be accompanied to ensure better fracture healing.