[An experimental study of the effects of stress-relaxation plate on bone remodeling]

An ideal bone plate would provide rigid fixation to ensure stabilization of bone fragments at the early stage after fracture, while at the late stage osteoporosis induced by stress shielding effect of the plate should be prevented. However, there is no report of such a plate that could meet with all these requirements. Twenty-eight adult New Zealand rabbits were used in this experiment. Ordinary stainless-steel plate (no washer plate) and similar plate padded with ultrahigh molecular polyethylene washers in its screw holes (washer plate) were fixed respectively on mid-shelf of each side of tibiae. The animals were killed at 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks after operation, and the fixed bone segments of both tibiae were removed for light microscopy, polarized light microscopy and fluoroscopy. The results showed that the tibiae fixed with plate fixation both appeared bone resorption, but there was more severe resorption in bone with no washer plate fixation than that with washer plate fixation. Cancelization of cortical bone was seen in the former but not in the latter at 12 weeks postopertively. This demonstrated that the washer might creep and damage with fixation time, resulting in gradual decrease in the rigidity of the plate-screw system and thus reducing bone resorption as caused by stress shielding.