SURGICAL TREATMENT OF DISTAL RADIUS FRACTURES WITH A VOLAR LOCKED PLATE: CORRELATION OF CLINICAL AND RADIOGRAPHIC...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Traumatology
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• Distal radius fractures are common injuries.
• Surgical fixation aims to restore anatomy and function.
• Volar locked plates are a common fixation method.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze clinical and radiographic outcomes of distal radius fracture surgery.
• To correlate functional outcomes with radiographic parameters.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of fixed-angle volar locked plates.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 64 patients with distal radius fractures.
• Surgical treatment using volar locked plates.
• Minimum six-month follow-up including physical examination, DASH questionnaire, and radiographic assessment.

Main Results:

• Reduced range of motion and 85.8% mean grip strength compared to the unaffected side.
• Mean Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score of 15.99.
• Correlation found between lower DASH scores and loss of extension/grip strength; loss of radial length correlated with reduced extension/grip strength.

Conclusions:

• Volar locked plate fixation for distal radius fractures results in functional deficits.
• Radiographic parameters like radial length are associated with functional outcomes.
• Further research may explore optimizing surgical techniques to improve patient function.