Summary
Locking plates are becoming increasingly popular in veterinary orthopaedics. The SOP
is a novel locking plate system, which can be contoured with 6° of freedom and which
utilises standard bone screws. The purpose of this work was to investigate the mechanical
consequences of contouring the 3.5 SOP plate to support the formulation of clinical
guidelines. The implants were loaded in four point bending using an industry standard
protocol. The uncontoured SOP was found to be significantly stiffer and stronger than
the uncontoured 3.5 DCP. Bending, and to a lesser extent, twisting, diminished the
SOP’s stiffness and strength but the contoured SOP remained at least as stiff and
strong as the untouched DCP.
Keywords
SOP - stiffness - strength - contouring - locking plate
