Comparison of the effects of intramedullary nailing or plating on the mechanical properties of fracture callus

Abstract Twelve metatarsal sheep bones were osteotomized and fixed either with an intramedullary nail or with a standard plate without compression. The mechanical properties of the callus were assessed three months post-operatively using a bending test. Ultimate bending strength, tangential stress, energy to tailure, stittness and moment ot inertia were measured or computed with the recorded data. It was concluded that the nailing technique improved callus properties more than plating. For the 12 weeks of cansolidation, the mechanical properties of the callus at this stage have been ascribed to the degree of mineralization.