[Combination of plate and external fixator for biological osteosynthesis of comminuted fractures]

In a comminuted fracture, a unilateral plate doesn't always give enough stability because the contralateral cortex cannot be used as a buttress. New plate systems as the Locking Compression Plate (LCP) may solve this problem. Another method to stabilize the contralateral cortex is by using an External Fixator (EF) in addition to a conventional platte either on the opposite side of the plate or on the ipsilateral side over the plate. By doing so, a half frame of an EF acts as a substitute for the damaged cortex. This method is easily available and may also be considered when a conventional plate osteosynthesis must be mechanically improved after the conventional plate is already put in place. With this combination of a plate with a EF we treated twelve patients with comminuted fractures of the tibia, the humerus and the femur. Eleven fractures healed without further operations or complications. In one case, there was a superficial wound infection with Staph. epidermidis that lead to an early metal removal, but healing of the fracture was not impaired. We also tested this set-up in a model and found, that the additional EF increased the stiffness of the plate by 73% for axial load. The combination of a plate and a contralateral EP is a useful way to treat comminuted fractures biologically achieving enough stability to allow early motion of the adjacent joints and fast healing of the fracture. Especially for fractures adjacent to a joint, this method is an alternative to an intramedullary nail.