ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Surgery
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1639433
Biomechanical Comparison of Locking Plate and Pin-Tension Band Wiring Fixation for 3D-Printed Canine Patellar Fracture Repair
Provisionally accepted
- Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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This study aimed to compare the biomechanical stability of locking plate fixation with the conventional pin and tension band wiring (TBW) technique in the treatment of transverse patellar fractures in dogs and to evaluate the effect of plate design on fixation strength. A total of 30 3D-printed canine patellar fracture models were created based on CT data from a 45 kg Akita and divided into three groups (n=10 each): Group 1 (pin/TBW), Group 2 (2-hole locking plate), and Group 3 (4-hole locking plate). Tensile tests were conducted with the patella fixed at a 135° stifle angle to simulate quadriceps force, and fixation failure was defined as fracture gap displacement exceeding 2 mm or reaching the yielding point. Group 1 exhibited progressive displacement with increasing tensile loads (1 mm: 226.4±26.2 N; 2 mm: 208.8±27.7N, 3 mm: 342.7±27.0 N), while Groups 2 and 3 showed minimal or no displacement and significantly higher maximum failure loads (505.6±66.6 N and 556.9±39.6 N, respectively; p < 0.05). No significant difference in fixation strength was found between the 2-hole and 4-hole locking plate groups. These findings demonstrate that locking plate fixation offers significantly superior biomechanical stability compared to the traditional pin/TBW technique in canine transverse patellar fractures and suggest that smaller 2-hole locking plates may be a clinically applicable option for fracture stabilization in veterinary practice.
Keywords: canine, Patellar fracture, patellar locking plate, figure of eight, tension
Received: 02 Jun 2025; Accepted: 15 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 JUNG, Kim and Min. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Hwi-Yool Kim, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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