title: The relationship between displacement and clinical outcome after distal radius (Colles') fracture.
abstract: We reviewed 260 patients who had been treated non-operatively for a dorsally displaced distal radius fracture a mean 6.3 (range 2.5-12.7) years earlier, in an attempt to find the limits of displacement compatible with a good clinical outcome. We excluded patients with previous or later injuries to the same limb. Bivariate analysis revealed a highly statistically significant relationship between radiographic displacement at review and clinical outcome scores. Correlation coefficients varied between 0.14 and 0.30. However, multiple linear regression analysis using most factors commonly thought to be of importance in determining the clinical outcome as independent variables explained only 23% of the variability of the clinical outcome. Dorsal angulation, ulnar variance, and radial inclination together accounted for only 11% of the variability. We conclude that the final alignment of the distal radius as shown radiologically has only a minor influence on the clinical outcome of Colles' type distal radius fractures.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, St.Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. vilh.finsen@ntnu.no
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Finsen
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rod
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rød
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rajabi
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Alm-Paulsen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Russwurm
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003100:Colles' Fracture / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000379:methods; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011859:Radiography; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014457:Ulna / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging