Bone plate fixation ability on the dorsal and lateral sides of a metacarpal shaft transverse fracture.

According to our results, the mechanical strength offered by lateral plate fixation of a metacarpal shaft fracture is so low that even KW fixation can offer relatively superior mechanical strength; this is regardless of whether a locking or nonlocking plate is used for lateral plate fixation. Such fixation can reduce the probability of extensor tendon adhesion. Nevertheless, our results indicated that when lateral plate fixation is used for fixating a metacarpal shaft fracture in a clinical setting, whether the mechanical strength offered by such fixation would be strong enough to support bone union remains questionable.