• Sung-Jae Kim, Young-Hoon Jo, Wan-Sun Choi, Chang-Hun Lee, Bong-Gun Lee, Joo-Hak Kim, and Kwang-Hyun Lee.
• Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Dongtan Sacred Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Hwasung, Korea.
• J Hand Surg Am. 2017 Sep 1; 42 (9): 747.e1-747.e6.

PurposeThis study evaluated the biomechanical properties of a new volar locking plate made by 3-dimensional printing using titanium alloy powder and 2 conventional volar locking plates under static and dynamic loading conditions that were designed to replicate those seen during fracture healing and early postoperative rehabilitation.MethodsFor all plate designs, 12 fourth-generation synthetic composite radii were fitted with volar locking plates according to the manufacturers' technique after segmental osteotomy. Each specimen was first preloaded 10 N and then was loaded to 100 N, 200 N, and 300 N in phases at a rate of 2 N/s. Each construct was then dynamically loaded for 2,000 cycles of fatigue loading in each phase for a total 10,000 cycles. Finally, the constructs were loaded to a failure at a rate of 5 mm/min.ResultsAll 3 plates showed increasing stiffness at higher loads. The 3-dimensional printed volar locking plate showed significantly higher stiffness at all dynamic loading tests compared with the 2 conventional volar locking plates. The 3-dimensional printed volar locking plate had the highest yield strength, which was significantly higher than those of 2 conventional volar locking plates.ConclusionsA 3-dimensional printed volar locking plate has similar stiffness to conventional plates in an experimental model of a severely comminuted distal radius fracture in which the anterior and posterior metaphyseal cortex are involved.Clinical RelevanceThese results support the potential clinical utility of 3-dimensional printed volar locking plates in which design can be modified according the fracture configuration and the anatomy of the radius.Copyright © 2017 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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