Thyroid cartilage fracture repair in rabbits: comparing healing with wire and miniplate fixation.

OBJECTIVES

Evaluate cartilaginous healing in rabbits in response to surgically created thyroid cartilage fractures. Compare healing between laryngeal fracture repair techniques.

STUDY DESIGN

Animal model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Laryngectomy specimens were analyzed at 10 weeks, following paired wire fixation (n = 7) and miniplate fixation (n = 7) of thyroid cartilage fractures.

RESULTS

Cartilaginous unions were present in all seven of the miniplated repairs, while fibrous unions were present in six of the wired repairs. The measure of distraction at the fracture site was significantly greater in the wired repairs compared with the plated repairs (P = .005). Furthermore, in five of seven miniplated repairs no distraction at the healed fracture site was present.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate the ease, tolerability, and superiority of the miniplate fixation technique for the thyroid cartilage fractures, based on a rabbit model.