title: [Case-control studies on external fixator for the treatment of comminuted distal radius fractures in senile].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare and analyze the clinical effects of external fixator and small splint fixator in the treatment of comminuted distal radius fracture in senile.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 2005.6 to 2008.6, 74 senile patients (82 sides) with comminuted distal radius fractures were divided into external fixation group (34 cases 38 sides, 27 males and 7 females, with an average of 70.05 +/- 3.70 years) and small splint fixation group (40 cases 44 sides, 29 males and 11 females, with an average of 70.30 +/- 3.48 years). The loss of volar tilting angle and ulnar inclination angle after reduction and the function scores of carpal joint after removing the fixators were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One week after surgery, there was loss of volar tilting angle and ulnar inclination in small splint fixation (P < 0.01), and one month after removing the external fixator, the loss of angle was more obvious (P < 0.01); while the loss of angle in external fixation group was not significant (P > 0.05). After one month of removing the fixation, the functional score of wrist joint in external fixation group was obviously higher than that of the small splint fixation group (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The external fixator can be adopted to treat comminuted distal radius fractures in senile, which is able to decrease the reduction loss and helpful to functional recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of TCM, Changsha 410005, Hunan, China. yhywgb@126.com
authors.forename: Guan-Bao
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ke-Fang
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Xiao-Hua
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xi-Long
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiao-Hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016267:External Fixators; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011885:Radius Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome