Low Rates of Hardware Removal and Tendon Rupture for the Acu-Loc 2 Volar Distal Radius Plate: A Minimum One-Year...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Trauma Surgery
• Hand Surgery

Background:

• Volar locking plates for distal radius fractures can lead to complications like hardware removal and tendon rupture.
• Plate design influences complication rates in distal radius fracture fixation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the hardware removal and tendon rupture rates associated with the Acu-Loc 2 volar distal radius (VDR) plate.
• To compare complication rates of the Acu-Loc 2 VDR plate with other distal radius fixation designs.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 92 patients treated with Acu-Loc 2 VDR plates between 2017 and 2021.
• Exclusion of patients with less than one year follow-up or unreachable via telephone follow-up.
• Analysis of pre-operative radiographs for fracture classification and assessment of follow-up duration.

Main Results:

• 85 patients met inclusion criteria; 33 males (38.8%), 52 females (61.2%), mean age 50 years.
• 31.0% extra-articular, 69.0% intra-articular fractures; mean follow-up 593.3 days.
• Hardware removal in 4.7% (3 for tendon irritation, 1 for peri-prosthetic fracture); 0% tendon ruptures.

Conclusions:

• The Acu-Loc 2 VDR plate demonstrated a low medium-term hardware removal rate.
• No tendon ruptures were recorded, suggesting a potentially favorable safety profile.
• These complication rates appear lower than those reported for alternative distal radius plate designs.