Summary
Several techniques have been described for canine pancarpal arthrodesis (PCA) with
dorsal plating becoming the most accepted method for ease of placement despite the
proposed biomechanical disadvantages. The aim of this study was to compare the biomechanical
effects of the addition of crossed K-wires to a standard 2.7/3.5 mm hybrid PCA plate.
A 2.7/3.5 mm hybrid PCA plate, alone and combined with crossed K-wires were tested.
Six pairs of cadaver forelimbs were collected from medium-sized dogs with an average
weight of 24 kg by elbow disarticulation. The limbs were potted and fixed in an Instron
load cell (Instron, High Wycombe, UK) and axially loaded to failure. Load displacement
data and mode of failure were recorded and stiffness, yield load and ultimate load
at failure were calculated. The yield load (kN) of the plate and K-wire construct
(1.278 ± 0.11) was significantly higher than for the plate construct alone (1.002
± 0.07) (p = 0.00056). However, the differences between the two constructs in stiffness
and failure loads were not significant
Keywords
Pancarpal arthrodesis - canine - dorsal plate - biomechanical - crossed K-wires