title: Volar plating of dorsally comminuted fractures of the distal radius: a 6-year study.
abstract: This article describes a 6-year study of use of volar plating in treating unstable dorsally comminuted distal radius fractures. Forty-six fractures treated with volar plating were reviewed. All cases were followed for at least 6 months; 35 were followed for more than 1 year. Fractures treated with adjunctive protruding pins were excluded. Bone graft was used in 4 cases. Anatomical results were rated excellent or good in 39 cases (85%). Subsidence occurred in 9 fractures, 4 of which malunited. Flexor pollicis longus tendon attrition occurred in 2 cases. Mean operative time was less than 1 hour (range, 30-90 minutes). Study results support continued use of volar plating in treating selected unstable dorsally displaced fractures of the distal radius. Prominent plates and sharp-edged screws may imperil deep flexor tendons and should be removed. More liberal use of bone graft and improvements in plate design should reduce complications.
authors.affiliation: Swedish and Porter Adventist Hospitals, Denver, Colorado, USA. jdsok@aol.com
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Douthit
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001860:Bone Plates; D005260:Female; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000379:methods*; D018460:Fractures, Comminuted / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011859:Radiography; D011885:Radius Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome