Length of Plates and Number of Screws for the Fixation of Distal Humerus Fractures: A Finite Element Biomechanical Study.

Purpose: We performed a biomechanical analysis using the finite element method to assess the effects of plate length and the number of screws on construct stiffness, stress distribution, and fracture displacement in the fixation of type A2 distal humerus fractures.

Methods: A 3-dimensional humerus model was constructed using computed tomography of a healthy man. After creating a 2-mm extra-articular fracture gap, orthogonal double-plate fixation was performed with an incremental increase in plate length and the number of screws, creating 17 fixation models.