Effect of screw thread length on stiffness of proximal humerus locking plate constructs: A finite element study

Proximal humerus fractures account for 5% of all fracture types and 10% of fractures in the over-65 patient population [1,2]. While they can be treated non-operatively, their operative treatment modalities include intramedullary nails, percutaneous fixation and open reduction internal fixation with locking plates. The latter exhibits superior in vitro biomechanical performance than earlier fixation methods [3 –10]. In clinical practice, these plates are associated with issues such as screw glenohumeral perforation which have a complication rate of up to 23% [11–17].
Source: Medical Engineering and Physics - Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Tags: Technical note Source Type: research