Fig. 7. A, Plate passing device with handle and contourable end-sharpened blade. B, In the metacarpus or metatarsus, a 2.5–3-cm incision is made distally and the plate thrust to create a tunnel outside of the periosteum and under the tendons. C, A broad locking plate is easily slid and positioned. It is contoured with the assistance of radiographic imaging. D, The screws are inserted through individual stab incisions. E–J, Examples of cases repaired with minimally invasive plate placement. E, Routine spiraling medial condylar fracture. F, Severely comminuted foal metatarsal fracture. G, Medial condylar fracture that became comminuted after single medial plate fixation. H, Comminuted adult metatarsal fracture. I, Comminuted distal lateral radius fracture. J, Partial carpal arthrodesis in a 550-kg 9-month pregnant mare.
complex and badly displaced fractures nor in ana- tomical locations with extensive muscle coverage but it is a step toward harmonizing biology and mechanics. Two examples of its practical applica- tion are propagating medial condylar fractures and carpal arthrodesis. Although medial condylar frac- tures are the most common reason to plate a cannon bone, the minimal soft tissues allow us to use min- imally invasive plate placement for more complex fractures and arthrodeses (Fig. 7, E–J).
Medial Condylar Fractures
Fractures propagating proximally from the medial condyle are very different from those arising in the lateral condyle. Medial fractures, unlike their lat- eral counterpart, rarely course toward the near cor- tex. Instead, the fractures split the bone vertically only to radiographically disappear in the diaphysis OR they spiral more definably up the limb. Either configuration has a high risk of catastrophic failure.
