Intramedullary Plate Fixation and Viable Bone Allografting in a Complex Intra-articular Distal Radius Fracture Nonunion: A Case Report

In this report, we detail a 69-year-old female who sustained a comminuted intra-articular left distal radius fracture that failed to heal with bridge plate fixation. Given the patient's poor subchondral bone stock and refusal of bone autograft, we designed a construct using a dorsal spanning pl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCurēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 16; no. 3; p. e57308
Main Authors Jain, Neil, Hernandez, Evan, Medina, Yasier, Gottlich, Caleb, MacKay, Brendan J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Cureus Inc 31.03.2024
Cureus
Subjects
Case reports
Fractures
Medical imaging
Metabolism
Orthopedics
Trauma
Wrist
dorsal spanning plate
intramedullary fragment plate
nonunion
distal radius fracture
cancellous bone chips
viable bone allograft
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Summary:In this report, we detail a 69-year-old female who sustained a comminuted intra-articular left distal radius fracture that failed to heal with bridge plate fixation. Given the patient's poor subchondral bone stock and refusal of bone autograft, we designed a construct using a dorsal spanning plate and an intramedullary fragment-specific plate as a volarly placed strut in combination with viable bone allograft and cancellous bone chips to treat this nonunion. This case demonstrates an option for distal radius non-union treatment and highlights the importance of ingenuity that orthopedic surgeons should demonstrate when trying to accommodate patients' wishes.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.57308