Comminuted Colles' fractures treated with external fixation.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Traumatology
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Commin_uted intraarticular Colles' fractures often present poor prognoses with conservative treatments.
• Early intervention strategies are crucial for optimizing patient recovery and functional outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of early external fixation versus plaster cast fixation for comminuted intraarticular Colles' fractures.
• To compare radiographic and functional outcomes at one-year follow-up.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study comparing 75 patients treated with early external fixation to 32 patients treated with plaster cast fixation.
• Equal distribution of age, sex, and fracture type between groups.
• Treatment involved reduction under anesthesia/arm block followed by external fixation for five weeks.

Main Results:

• The external fixation group demonstrated significantly better radiographic appearance at one-year follow-up.
• Improved healing of the ulnar styloid process was observed in the external fixation group.
• Subjective (Lidström score) and objective (range of motion, grip strength) evaluations were significantly superior in the external fixation group.

Conclusions:

• Conservative treatment of comminuted intraarticular Colles' fractures yields poor results.
• Early external fixation offers encouraging outcomes and is a recommended treatment modality.