PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

The Distal Tibia Nail (DTN; Mizuho, Japan) has demonstrated higher biomechanical stiffness to locking plates in previous research for A3 distal tibia fractures. It is here investigated as a fixation option for supramalleolar corrective osteotomies (SMOT). Sixteen Sawbones tibiae were implanted with either a DTN (n=8) or Medial Distal Tibia Plate (MDTP; n=8) and a SMOT simulated. Two surgical outcome scenarios were envisaged: "best-case" representing an intact lateral cortex, and "worst-case" representing a fractured lateral cortex. All samples were subjected to compressive (350N, 700N) and torsional (±4 Nm,±8 Nm) testing. Samples were evaluated using calculated construct stiffness from force-displacement data, interfragmentary movement and Von Mises' strain distribution. The DTN demonstrated a greater compressive stiffness for the best-case surgical scenario, whereas the MDTP showed higher stiffness (p<0.05) for the worst-case surgical scenario. In torsional testing, the DTN proved more resistant to torsion in the worst-case surgical setup (p<0.05) for both±4 Nm and±8Nm. The equivalent stiffness of the DTN against the MDTP supports the use of this implant for SMOT fixation and should be considered as a treatment option particularly in patients presenting vascularisation problems where the MDTP is an inappropriate choice. © 2021. The Author(s).