3.5mm cuttable malleable locking plate

VI cuttable malleable locking plates come into their own when pronounced contouring is necessary. They are well suited to situations where bone thickness or bone quality makes application of more conventional implants challenging, such as with many more complicated pelvic fractures as well as situations where mono-cortical application is desireable. As locking implants, intimate bone contact, though desirable, is not essential. The low profile makes these implants useful for craniomaxillofacial surgery and for other areas with limited soft tissue coverage. Manufactured from stainless steel grade 316LVM, they are stiffer than titanium implants of similar dimensions, but are still cuttable with standard implant cutters offering good versatility. Use should ideally be reserved for when low load applications or when load sharing is possible between these and other implants such as with double plating techniques or when load sharing is possible with the bone. Use to span large defects is not recommended. With a low profile of 3.5mm, these plates offer a full stacked locking feature for use with cortical/cortical self-tapping screws or locking screws. Contouring can be achieved with bending irons designed for plates of 3.5mm and up. For side contouring, the small VI roller style bending pliers or reconstruction plate pliers are useful. Heavy contouring necessitates the use of locking plugs. Heavy duty implant cutters rated to cut 3.0mm or more are recommended to cut these plates. 14.0mm between hole centres.