Background: Acetabular fractures comprise 12-30% of canine pelvic fractures and require accurate anatomic reduction and rigid stability to ensure proper healing and minimize future osteoarthritis. Many techniques have been used to repair these fractures, with common techniques including veterinary acetabular plates or use of screw/wire/polymethylmethacrylate constructs. String-of-Pearl™ plating systems have also been used clinically but there is a lack of research supporting their use for these fractures. The purpose of this study was to compare fracture reduction accuracy, biomechanical characteristics, and mode of failure between String-of-Pearls™, veterinary acetabular plates, screw/wire/polymethylmethacrylate constructs in a simulated, ex-vivo acetabular fracture model. We hypothesized that the String-of-Pearls™ constructs would have equivalent or greater mechanical properties and reduction compared to the other constructs.
Results: The mean craniocaudal acetabular diameter before fixation (mean 25.2 mm; range 20 mm - 30.1 mm) was not significantly different from after fixation (mean 23.9 mm; range 20 mm - 28.3 mm) for any fixation method. Comparison of reduction scores between groups revealed no significant differences. No significant differences were noted for cyclical displacement or stiffness. There was significant difference with superior failure load of String-of-Pearls™ compared to screw/wire/polymethylmethacrylate in the 75th percentile of animal weight (P = 0.0021), and superior failure load of String-of-Pearls™ compared to veterinary acetabular plates in the 50th (P = 0.0232) and 75th percentiles (P = 0.0058). Stiffness of the String-of-Pearls™ construct was significantly greater than the veterinary acetabular plate construct (P = 0.0417). For ultimate load, String-of-Pearls™ constructs were significantly greater than screw/wire/polymethylmethacrylate (P = 0.0331) and veterinary acetabular plates (P = 0.0218).
Conclusion: Although the ease of application for the String-of-Pearls™ implant was subjectively better than other implants, no significant differences were found in fracture reduction scores. The String-of-Pearls™ constructs were stiffer than veterinary acetabular plates and exhibited greater failure and ultimate loads compared to veterinary acetabular plates and screw/wire/polymethylmethacrylate fixations. The String-of-Pearls™ implant appears to be a suitable fixation choice for simple canine acetabular fractures.
Keywords: Acetabulum; Biomechanics; Canine; Fracture; String-of-pearls.