Bone weakness after the removal of plates and screws. Cortical atrophy or ³

---

screw holes?. Á Rosson J. Egan J. Shearer J. Monro P. Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery - British Volume. 73(2):283-6, 1991 Mar. Bone weakness leading to refracture is a recognised complication of the removal of rigid fixation plates. We have used partially demineralised rabbit tibiae to simulate atrophic changes and to determine whether * weakness is due to atrophy or to residual screw holes. Partial demineralisation and a screw hole each reduced maximum bending moment. However, energy absorbing capacity was little affected by demineralisation, but was reduced to 50% by a single drill hole. Residual Á screw holes are a considerably more important cause of bone weakness after plate removal than is cortical atrophy. *