Mini and micro plating of phalangeal and metacarpal fractures: a biomechanical study

Biomechanical testing was performed in a cadaver model to evaluate the effects of plate size and position on fracture stability using Leibinger mini and microplates applied on the proximal phalanx and metacarpal. Fresh frozen cadaveric metacarpal and proximal phalanges were subjected to a midshaft transverse osteotomy followed by application of titanium mini (1.7 mm screw diameter) and micro (1.2 mm screw diameter) plates/screws. For the metacarpal, a dorsal miniplate, a dorsal microplate, and bilateral microplates were used. For the proximal phalanx, similar plate configurations and sizes were used with the addition of a unilateral microplate. A three point bending model with both dorsal and palmar apex loading was used for all configurations. This study confirms that a dorsally applied miniplate provides the greatest rigidity to a dorsal apex load.