The use of locking femur nail in the rats femur fracture model

Objective:To investigate the healing of femur fracture fixed using locking femur nail or common intramedullary femur nail in rats.Methods:Fifty virgin female Wistar rats of 3 months old were randomly divided into two groups:experiment group(the femur fracture was fixed using locking femur nail) and control group(the femur fracture was fixed using common intramedullary femur nail).The X-ray,histological examination,bone mineral density and biomechanics tests were used to evaluate the bone healing.The X-ray film was performed immediately,two and four weeks after the operation.The histological examination,BMD and biomechanics tests were performed four weeks after the operation.Results:The X-ray film and histological examination showed that the bony callus was more abundant and mature in the experiment group than in the control group.The BMD was higher in the experiment group than in the control group(P0.01).The biomechanics tests also showed better results in the experiment group than in the control group(P0.01).Conclusion:Locking femur nail can offer stabilization environment,increase BMD,promote the fracture healing and improve the quality of callus and enhance the biomechanical properties.