The influence of a tension band fixation as an adjunct for arthrodesis of the metacarpophalangeal joint in the horse

Objectives To determine the influence of a stainless‐steel cable (SSC) tension band fixation as an adjunct to a locking compression plate (LCP) for arthrodesis of the equine metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint. Study design Experimental. An ex vivo biomechanical paired equine cadaver limb study. Sample population Five MCP joint pairs were collected from adult Thoroughbred horses, euthanized for reasons unrelated to orthopedic disease. Methods Each pair of MCP joints were randomly implanted with either a dorsally placed 5.5 mm LCP and a palmarly placed 2.0 mm SSC or a dorsally placed 5.5 mm LCP alone. Each construct was tested in cyclic loading followed by single cycle to failure in axial compression. Displacement at a target load of 1 kN over 3600 cycles at 1 Hz was recorded prior to single cycle to failure testing. Results In cyclic testing, displacement was not significantly different between the first and last 5% of testing cycles regardless of construct. Maximum displacement of each construct during cyclic testing was