Bio-mechanical analysis of a fractured tibia with composite bone plates according to the diaphyseal oblique fracture angle

摘要

The flexible fixation method is known to provide beneficial conditions for healing bone fractures by allowing appropriate relative movement at the fracture site. Using finite element analysis (FEA), we investigated the healing efficiency of flexible composite bone plates applied to a tibia with diaphyseal oblique fractures. To construct the finite element model, the time-dependent properties of living tissue (callus) were estimated using healing rates that were updated at every healing period using iterative calculations of the interfragmentary strain distributions according to oblique angles and plate properties. The calculation results showed that the flexible composite bone plates (Twintex [0]_(18) and WSN3k [±30]_9) provided high healing rates compared to conventional steel plates.