Biomechanical advantage of lengthening of the femur with an external fixator over an intramedullary nail.
The present experimental study investigated biomechanical differences in methods of femoral lengthening using a monolateral external fixator only and using an external fixator over an intramedullary nail. Three materials, namely polyvinyl chloride rods, composite synthetic bone, and cadaver-bone, were tested using the MTS machine. We evaluated the differences of axial stiffness according to the presence of a nail or the numbers of half-pins (two or three half-pins) that were fixed at each side of osteotomy. The addition of a nail may increase the axial stiffness of the frame of monolateral external fixator for limb lengthening. Additionally, it is enough to distract the femur with fixing two half-pins at each side, when using the technique of lengthening over a nail.
Min
Woo-Kie
WK
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
Min
Byung-Guk
BG
Oh
Chang-Wug
CW
Song
Hae-Ryong
HR
Oh
Jong-Keon
JK
Ahn
Hyung-Soo
HS
Park
Byung-Chul
BC
Kim
Poong-Taek
PT
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001852:Bone Lengthening / Q000379:methods*; D001858:Bone Nails; D002102:Cadaver; D016267:External Fixators; D005269:Femur / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D010027:Osteotomy; D011143:Polyvinyl Chloride; D019736:Prostheses and Implants
D011143:Polyvinyl Chloride