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Evaluating the Stability of Locking Screw on Locking Compression Plate According to Various Screw Insertion Angles

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Abstract

Humeral shaft fracture is one of the most common fractures in older adults. For humeral shaft fractures, a fixed treatment is performed using a straight plate. A straight locking plate is designed such that it can be inserted at a right angle (to the fractured bone), and the screw hold angles are designed to facilitate perpendicular insertion, which may lead to nonunion, such as a pull-out or breakage. Herein, a screw was inserted to the plate, and changes in gripping force with varying angles of screw placement was investigated with an aim to optimize the incision site. Finite element analysis was used to determine the stress of plates and screws under three conditions (load, tensile, and bending) which were applied to 13 plate models with varying screw angle combined with the humeral shaft fracture model. The results showed that the von Mises stress of the plates and screws at the same pressure was the highest when both the screws were positioned at an angle of 5° to the plate at the top and bottom, rather than the conventional vertical screw insertion. In conclusion, it was confirmed that by varying the angle of the plate insertion screw to minimize the incision site, the fixation strength could be further increased. If these results are applied to actual procedures, it is expected that they will not only minimize the scope of incision for plate fixation but also reduce side effects such as bone and screw joint breakage after the procedure.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Konyang University Research Fund. This study was also supported by a grant from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (Grant No.: HI17C2412).

Funding

Funding was supported by Konyang University, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (Grant No. HI17C2412).

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Author notes

  1. Jin Woong Yi and Jong Un Kim have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Konyang University Hospital, 158 Gwanjeodong-ro, Seo-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea

    Jin Woong Yi, A. Yoon Kim & Byung Hak Oh

  2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Jong Un Kim

  3. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Konyang University, 158 Gwanjeodong-ro, Seo-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea

    Ju Yong Ahn & Ki Sik Tae

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  1. Jin Woong Yi
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  2. Jong Un Kim
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Correspondence to Ki Sik Tae.

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Yi, J.W., Kim, J.U., Kim, A.Y. et al. Evaluating the Stability of Locking Screw on Locking Compression Plate According to Various Screw Insertion Angles. Int. J. Precis. Eng. Manuf. 23, 789–796 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-022-00652-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-022-00652-z

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