Volar locking plates not touching the flexor pollicis longus tendon appear as prominences on radiographs: a cadaver study

Background Plate protrusion is a risk factor for flexor pollicis longus (FPL) rupture following volar locking plate (VLP) surgery. However, plate prominence on follow-up radiographs is common. We hypothesised that a VLP that does not touch the FPL tendon can appear as a plate prominence projected over the volar ridge on lateral radiographs. Materials and methods We studied six current designs of widely used plates in formalin-fixed cadavers. Each plate was placed in six cadavers. We analysed 36 different plate–cadaver combinations. The main aim of plate fixation was to position the plate in the most distal position without FPL tendon contact. Radiographs were obtained using fluoroscopy. We evaluated plate prominence from the volar ridge according to the Soong grading system. Results Soong grades 0 (plate did not extend beyond volar ridge), 1 (plate protruded beyond volar ridge) and 2 (plate directly on or located beyond the volar ridge) were observed in 23 (63.9%), 9 (25.0%) and 4 (11.1%) cadavers, respectively. VariAx, DVR and VALCP showed grade 1 prominence, whereas Acu-Loc2, HYBRIX and MODE showed grade 2 prominence. Conclusions Implant protrusion was observed in 36% of plate–cadaver combinations, even if the plate did not touch the FPL. Estimating the risk of FPL rupture using lateral radiographs alone is likely insufficient. Our findings can be applied to accurately identify the presence of implant prominence following VLP surgery.