Modified pre-curved patellar basket plate, reconstruction of the proper length and position of the patellar ligament--a biomechanical analysis.

Biomechanical properties of basket plate fixation for fracture dislocation in the distal part of the patella were studied on 22 fresh-frozen lower extremities (human cadaveric knees). The patella and the patellar ligament with the proximal tibia were removed. A comminuted fracture of the distal part of the patella was created with a chisel. The fractured patella, patellar ligament and tibial tuberosity of each specimen were fixed with a basket plate and mounted into the jaws of the testing machine. The measured load to failure was 421.66+/-45.90 N, which is approximately 70% higher than the results in other studies. The results of the measurements verified the results of finite element analysis. The modified precurved patellar basket plate developed in this study showed improved performance compared to the pre-existing fixation methods.