ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS AND PLATELET-RICH PLASMA ON THE HEALING OF TIBIAL STEMS TREATED WITH THE ELASTIC CARBON STABILIZER „CARBOELASTOFIX”

9 Wrzosowka sheep were analyzed – average age: 5 years. The animals were divided into three groups, each with 3 sheep. All the sheep underwent the cutting of the shin stem and the fractions were stabilized with the Carboelastofix stabilizer. In the first, control group, no mechanical or biochemical stimulation was performed. In the second group, mechanical stimulation was applied, with the use of a piezoelectric inductor, mounted in the carrier of the external stabilizer. The third group involved the application of mechanical stimulation and, additionally, autogenic platelet-rich plasma was mid-surgically applied in the fracture gap. The growth analysis was performed on the basis of the X-ray pictures taken in the 2, 5 and 8 week after the surgery. After the experiment had been finalized, the animals were put to death, and the callus formed around the fracture was histologically examined and analyzed in a computer microtomography test. All the three groups involved bone growth. The analysis of the density of the forming callus performed on the basis of the imaging examinations did not exhibit significant differences between the tested groups; however, the density of the forming callus in the group involving mechanical stimulation was the lowest. In this way, the authors prove that, with the application of an elastic stabilizer enabling axial micromovements in the fracture during the natural limb load, the effect of the additional mechanical stimulation is insignificant for the improvement of the quality of the forming bone growth. The platelet-rich plasma, in the case of the proper fracture growth, does not affect the quality of the forming limb.