Complications of Distal Radius Fractures Treated by Volar Locking Plate Fixation

• Published in: Orthopedics (Thorofare, N.J.) Vol. 39; no. 5; pp. e893 - e896
• Main Authors: Satake, Hiroshi, Hanaka, Naomi, Honma, Ryusuke, Watanabe, Tadayoshi, Inoue, Shigeru, Kanauchi, Yumiko, Kato, Yoshihiro, Nakajima, Taku, Sato, Daisuke, Eto, Jun, Maruyama, Masahiro, Naganuma, Yasushi, Sasaki, Junya, Toyono, Shuji, Harada, Mikio, Ishigaki, Daisuke, Takahara, Masatoshi, Takagi, Michiaki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States SLACK INCORPORATED 01.09.2016
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Bone Plates - adverse effects; Carpal tunnel syndrome; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - epidemiology; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - etiology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Fracture Fixation, Internal - adverse effects; Fractures; Hospitals; Humans; Incidence; Male; Middle Aged; Neurological disorders; Patients; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - epidemiology; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - etiology; Postoperative Complications - epidemiology; Radius Fractures - surgery; Range of motion; Range of Motion, Articular; Retrospective Studies; Rupture - epidemiology; Rupture - etiology; Surgeons; Surgery; Tendon Injuries - etiology; Transplants & implants; Wrist Joint - physiopathology; Young Adult; Japan
• ISSN: 0147-7447; 1938-2367
• DOI: 10.3928/01477447-20160517-05

The current study investigated the incidence of complications after surgery for distal radial fractures. This multicenter retrospective study was conducted at 11 institutions. A total of 824 patients who had distal radius fractures that were treated surgically between January 2010 and August 2012 were identified. The study patients were older than 18 years and were observed for at least 12 weeks after surgery for distal radius fractures with a volar locking plate. Sex, age, fracture type according to AO classification, implants, wrist range of motion, grip strength, fracture consolidation rate, and complications were studied. Analysis included 694 patients, including 529 women and 165 men, with a mean age of 64 years. The mean follow-up period was 27 weeks. The fracture consolidation rate was 100%. There were 52 complications (7.5%), including 18 cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, 12 cases of peripheral nerve palsy, 8 cases of trigger digit, 4 cases of tendon rupture (none of the flexor pollicis longus), and 10 others. There was no rupture of the flexor pollicis longus tendon because careful attention was paid to the relationship between the implant and the tendon. Peripheral nerve palsy may have been caused by intraoperative traction in 7 cases, temporary fixation by percutaneous Kirschner wires in 3 cases, and axillary nerve block in 1 case; 1 case appeared to be idiopathic. Tendon ruptures were mainly caused by mechanical stress. [Orthopedics.2016; 39(5):e893-e896.].