[Fracture healing after plate osteosynthesis in acute post-traumatic osteitis].

The inoculated rabbit tibia served as experimental model to evaluate the influence of stabilization for the healing of infected fractures. We also examined the importance of stabilization for the course of posttraumatic osteitis. The most important results are: 1. The course of posttraumatic osteitis is influenced positively by stabilization. In spite of the implanted foreign material the osteitis will often be reduced to a bland stage. 2. Even in the state of manifest osteitis fracture healing primarily depends on stability. After stabilization of the infected fractures we even saw primary fracture healing in a high percentage (36,4%). 3. Any instability is a much greater danger for the infected fracture as for the non-infected one. The combination of instability, inflammatory destruction and impaired circulation resulted in a pseudarthrosis in most cases examined. Furthermore our experiments showed that the stabilization of infected fractures should be done as soon as possible, i.e. at a moment, when the inflammatory destructions have not yet proceeded too far. These results confirm the findings of other authors and especially demonstrate that for the infected fracture stabilization is the decisive therapeutic principle. To obtain this stabilization one should not hesitate to implant foreign material (e.g. metal plates) even into an infected area. In selected cases therefore the "septic plate osteosynthesis" is an enlargement of the therapeutic possibilities in the difficult situation of posttraumatic osteitis.