ArticleJournal of orthopaedic surgery and research2026
Enhanced construct stability with a locking plate system integrated into 3D-printed titanium implants for bone defect reconstruction: a biomechanical comparison of locking versus nonlocking screw fixation.
Article in Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundFixation stability is critical for successful osseointegration of 3D-printed implants in segmental bone defect reconstruction. Although locking plate systems offer theoretical advantages over nonlocking systems, particularly in osteoporotic or high-load-bearing bones, their application in 3D-printed implants remains limited owing to manufacturing challenges. We aimed to evaluate the mechanical performance of locking versus nonlocking fixation in 3D-printed titanium implants. We hypothesized that locking fixation provides superior construct stability and fatigue resistance.
methodsStandardized synthetic bone cylinders were assembled using custom-designed 3D-printed titanium implants featuring integrated plate systems compatible with locking and nonlocking screws. Constructs were divided into two groups based on fixation method: nonlocking (n = 11) and locking (n = 11). Mechanical performance was assessed through static three-point bending (n = 6 per group) and cyclic torsional fatigue (n = 5 per group) tests. Key outcome measures included yield load, failure mode, torsional stiffness over time, and survival rate under fatigue loading.
resultsLocked constructs exhibited a significantly higher yield load under bending than nonlocked constructs (p = 0.003), indicating better resistance to irreversible deformation. Failure analysis revealed stress concentration at the innermost screw hole in the nonlocked constructs. In contrast, stress was more evenly distributed in the locked constructs, leading to bone cylinder fractures at the screw farthest from the defect. Under cyclic torsional loading, all the locked constructs survived the testing protocol, maintaining a better initial stiffness, whereas the nonlocked constructs showed progressive stiffness degradation with a 60% failure rate.
conclusionsLocking fixation improves construct stability and fatigue resistance in 3D-printed titanium implants for bone defect reconstruction, supporting its integration into additive-manufactured implants. Future in vivo animal studies, incorporating patient-specific designs and complex loading conditions are required to validate the clinical utility of this approach.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.