Morphometric analysis of lister's tubercle and its consequences on volar plate fixation of distal radius fractures

The objective of this study was to measure the size and shape of Lister's tubercle and the depth of the extensor pollicis longus (EPL) groove to assess the risk of injury to the EPL tendon when performing volar plating of distal radius fractures.

The length and height of Lister's tubercle and the depth of the EPL groove were measured in 100 cadavers.

The size of Lister's tubercle varied from 2 to 6 mm (average, 3.6 mm) in height radial to the tubercle and from 6 to 26 mm (average, 18.3 mm) in length. The depth of the EPL groove varied from 1 to 5 mm (average, 2.8 mm), with 63% being greater than 2 mm in depth. The height between the depth of the groove and the tip of the tubercle varied between 4 and 10 mm (average, 7.1 mm). No correlation was found with gender or right-side or left-side specimens.

The individual and combined height of Lister's tubercle and the depth of the EPL groove are considerable. This fact needs to be considered when performing volar plating of distal radius fractures because of the possibility that it might be difficult to determine precisely the presence and amount of past-pointing of the distal screws.