Abstract
An extensive rib fracture was performed on the domestic pig. These fractures were left to self-heal (2 pigs - a total of 6 ribs) or were fixed with a splint (2 pigs - a total of 6 ribs).
After 3 weeks of healing, the ribs were removed, fixed with 10% formaldehyde and processed with ground section method. The callus in both groups healed similarly.
The fixation splint did not adversely affect angiogenesis in the callus. A significant shift of the rib fragments relative to each other could mean a longer time required for the newly formed bone to remodeling in the callus.