Plate preparation
1. Non-locking plates
Non-locking plates must be anatomically contoured to the lateral surface of the bone. The plate must be carefully positioned to allow one of the screws to be inserted into the femoral neck.
Having screws crossing into the proximal fragment is beneficial to maximize screw purchase into the fragments to minimize screw pullout.
2. Locking plates
Locking plates have the benefit of providing stable angle fixation and therefore do not require perfect plate contouring They will however require meticulous contouring and placement to ensure that the screws can be inserted in the appropriate direction to maximize bone purchase in small fragments.
Locking plates should not be more than 2 mm away from the surface of the bone after contouring.
3. Compression plates
Compression plates must be slightly over bent to produce a 1-2 mm gap between the plate and the bone at the fracture sites. Over bending of the plate at the fracture lines ensures even compression across the fracture lines.
