Distal Lateral Fibula Plate — Locking and Conventional

At the lateral malleolus the plating question is largely one of bone quality. Where the fibular fragment is small or the bone is porotic, screws that thread into the plate keep their angle and their grip, so the locking version acts as a fixed-angle frame around the lateral malleolus. Where the bone is sound, a conventional plate with compression holes achieves stable fixation and lets the surgeon lag the fracture through the plate.

The hole count follows the proximal extent of the fracture: short plates cover injuries at the level of the syndesmosis, while the longest plates bridge spiral fractures running well up the fibular shaft. Plate length and hole count are paired in this line, so each hole count corresponds to one defined plate length, and the operating surgeon templates the required length directly from the fracture imaging.

The plate is positioned on the lateral surface of the fibula with its head over the lateral malleolus. In the locking version the distal screws are directed into the malleolar fragment at fixed angles and do not rely on bone quality for purchase; in the conventional version standard cortical screws draw the plate onto the bone, and lag screws can be placed through the plate where the fracture line allows. K-wire holes provide temporary fixation while reduction is confirmed. Plate version, length and the final screw arrangement are selected by the operating surgeon.

As genuine original implants, these plates reproduce the original system contour and hole geometry exactly, and they accept the screws and instruments described in the corresponding surgical technique without adaptation. BoneCraft holds both versions for the left and the right leg across all seven hole counts, so a wholesale order can cover the complete range in one shipment.