System Basics
The DARCO® MRS™ plating system for the rearfoot has been designed in close collaboration with internationally renowned surgeons to address the specific needs of reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. After many years of iterative research and development, the resulting product is highly refined for treatment of challenging rearfoot disorders.

All implants are manufactured to exacting standards from Titanium Alloy in our German facility. The system has been designed to take advantage of the many benefits of fixedangle locked screw fixation.

Implant Design
All plates in the system are rhombic (parallelogram) in form, with converging pairs of 3.5mm screw holes. (Figure 1) Every screw hole in every plate may receive either a locked or a non-locked screw, at the surgeon’s discretion. The holes are aligned to provide optimal screw purchase through screw convergence. The individual plate geometries vary to suit specific surgical indications.

Locked plating fixation is enabled through a rigid mechanical connection between screw and plate. In this system, the head of the screw has an external thread that matches the internal thread in the plate holes.

The following guidelines should be followed with locked plating systems:

• The plates may be contoured to better fit anatomy. All contouring should be performed with the Locking Drill Guides threaded into the appropriate screw holes to prevent deformation of the holes. Plates should be bent in one direction only; do not “unbend” after initial contouring.
• Ensure that joint surfaces are properly debrided prior to application of the implants.
• Joints and osteotomies should be properly reduced and compressed prior to application of a locking plate. In particularly demanding applications, placement of an interfragmentary compression screw should be considered prior to placement of the locking plate.
• Locked screws are useful in a number of situations. Generally, they provide better fixation in soft bone and stiffen the overall fusion construct between plate and bone.
• Locked screws have a pre-defined trajectory. Locking drill guides should always be used to pre-drill locked screws to ensure that the screws mate properly with the plate.
• Care must be taken with plate positioning so that locked screws are not directed into adjacent functioning joints or other hardware. In this case, non-locked screws may be used to redirect around the off ending joint or hardware.
• Locked screws maintain the relative positions of plate and bone; they cannot be used to “lag” the plate to the bone. If the plate must be brought into close apposition with underlying bone, a non-locked screw should be used.