Fixation of osteochondral fractures in rabbit knees. A comparison of Kirschner wires, fibrin sealant, and polydioxanone pins

Abstract

We compared fibrin sealant, polydioxanone (PDS) pins and Kirschner wires in the fixation of osteochondral fractures in rabbit knees. Standardised osteochondral fractures of the right medial femoral condyle were made in 56 adult New Zealand white rabbits. There were equal groups of control knees, and those which had Kirschner-wire, fibrin-sealant or PDS-pin fixation. No external immobilisation was used. One animal from each group was killed at two, three and four weeks. The remaining rabbits were killed at six weeks. A fracture which healed with less than 1 mm of displacement was considered a success. There was successful healing in 29% of the control group, in all of the Kirschner-wire group, in 50% of the fibrin-sealant group, and in 86% of the PDS-pin group. The use of PDS pins appears to be a reliable alternative to the use of metal in the fixation of osteochondral fractures in rabbits.

Foreign-Body Reaction and the Course of Osteolysis After Polyglycolide Implants for Fracture Fixation

“…The excellent results published by Greve and Holste (1985), Claes et al (1986) and Plaga et al (1992), using PDS rods with inferior mechanical properties and no postoperative immobilisation, support this view. The initial enthusiasm for biodegradable implants in fracture fixation was tempered by early reports of foreign-body reactions.…”

Biodegradable Metallic Wires in Dental and Orthopedic Applications: A Review

“…In order to eliminate the secondary surgery and resolve the shortcomings of permanent metallic wires, the fracture fixation with biodegradable wires made of polymeric materials was suggested and applied in the clinical trials [90,91]. The wires made of biodegradable synthetic polymers were applied in the fracture fixation of the knee [91], wrist [92], elbow [84] olecranon and patella [93] and small bones of hand [90] and their usage were compared with the metallic K-wires.…”

“…The wires made of biodegradable synthetic polymers were applied in the fracture fixation of the knee [91], wrist [92], elbow [84] olecranon and patella [93] and small bones of hand [90] and their usage were compared with the metallic K-wires. It was concluded that in both cases the healing time was the same and polymeric wires were suitable alternatives for the metallic ones [84,90,91,93]. Despite the high cost of polymeric biomaterials, the total expenses of treatment by polymeric wires was estimated lower than the metallic ones, since there is no need for the second surgery [93].…”

Kniegelenktrauma mit Knorpelabscherverletzung

“…Vor teile der Fibrinkleberverwendung sind, dass der Knorpel nicht perforiert wird, die Bildung von GapJunctions reduziert wird und eine arthroskopische Applika tion möglich ist [19]. Fibrinkleber sollte nur bei kleinen Fragmenten oder additiv zu anderen Fixationstechniken eingesetzt werden [14].…”