Screws and plates

Question 1

What forces do plates contol?

Answer 1

all the forces
plate–bending
screws–torsion, compression, tension

Question 2

What is required for a bone plate to adequately control all of the forces acting on a fracture?

Answer 2

The screws holding it must engage 6 cortices in both the proximal and distal fragments

Question 3

How does an IM pin help a bone plate?

Answer 3

it provides better control over cycling forces than the plate alone

Question 4

How do locking plates differ from other bone plates?

Answer 4

they act like external fixators so their rules of application differ from those applicable to regular bone plates

Question 5

What are nonlocking bone plates?

Answer 5

The bone plates are screwed into the fractured bone so scews transfer forces of weightbearing from bone to plate by increasing friction between bone and plate–thus want plate closely contoured to bone

Question 6

What are locking bone plates?

Answer 6

the scews screw into the bone AND into the plate. “internal external fixators” Don’t need to be as closely applied to the bone. However, cannot place scews at an angle

Question 7

What are locking bone plates?

Answer 7

the scews screw into the bone AND into the plate. “internal external fixators” Don’t need to be as closely applied to the bone. However, cannot place screws at an angle

Question 8

What are forces neutralized by plates?

Answer 8

all forces

Question 9

Why are screws not usually used by themselves?

Answer 9

they don’t control bending

Question 10

What are advantages of plate fixation?

Answer 10

1. reconstruction of fractured bone not necessary
2. can be placed in areas of a lot of overlying muscle mass (femoral, humoral, pelvic fracture repairs)
3. require little intervention once plated
4. can compress fracture fragments to increase friction

Question 11

What are the disadvantages of plate fixation?

Answer 11

1. nonlocking plates require surgical approach almost as long as the plate (can sometimes tunnel to place locking plate)
2. screw placement dictated by location of preformed holes in plate
3. can be difficult to capture short proximal or distal fragments with the minimum 3 screws
4. if infection present can be difficult to resolve completely without removing the plate–requires operation!

Question 12

What are the advantages of pin-pate combinations?

Answer 12

1. the IM pin adds significant bending control, the plate takes care of torsional and axial forces
2. the pin can simplify fracture reduction for plate placement

Question 13

Screws are sized based on what?

Answer 13

their outer diameter

Question 14

What size hole do you drill to place a screw?

Answer 14

the size of the inner diameter. then cut threads to the outer diameter of the scew

Question 15

What are interfragmentary scews?

Answer 15

screws that are placed across the fracture once it is in alignment. can make a counterskin to prevent them form interfering with the plate

Question 16

What are the rules for counting cortexes?

Answer 16

1. 2 vs 1 cortex
2. if a scew passes through a hole or a fracture line then that cortex doesn’t count
3. a screw may be in the cortex of one segment and the cortex of another

Question 17

What are positional screws?

Answer 17

screws for which both cortices are drilled and tapped and the screw is placed (may have to clamp if is going across a fracture line)

Question 18

What are lag scews?

Answer 18

the near cortex is overdrilled so the threads don’t engage here. As you tighten the screw, the screw head hits the near cortex and the head compresses the near cortex against the far one

Question 19

What are variable pitch screws and pins?

Answer 19

they have different pitch so they compress the fracture

Question 20

How are bone plates named?

Answer 20

by the size of screws their holes accommodate

Question 21

How are bone plates named?

Answer 21

by the size of screws their holes accommodate

Question 22

What are three types of holes in a screw for plate placement?

Answer 22

1. locking
2. round holes
3. oval holes–allow fracture to be compressed

Question 23

What is a neutralization plate?

Answer 23

it holds the fracture fragments in close formation so that some axial forces can be borne by reconstructed bone

Question 24

What is a compression plate?

Answer 24

the fragments are squeezed together–transverse fracture

Question 25

What is a tension band?

Answer 25

the plate is there to counter mostly tensile forces

Question 26

What is a butress plate?

Answer 26

the fracture isn’t fully reconstructed and the plate must bear most or all of the forces of weightbearing until the bone heals

Question 27

What side of a bone should a plate be placed on?

Answer 27

on the tension side of the bone–better to stress in the long direction than to bend it

Question 28

What are fractures that are good to plate?

Answer 28

1. diaphyseal fractures (long time)
2. fractures in locations where external skeletal fixation is not a good choice (muscle!)
3. fractures in animals that may not return for a recheck

Question 29

What fractures are NOT good to plate?

Answer 29

1. fractures with short proximal or distal fragments

2. fractures involving growth plates