Comparison of Conventional Incision and 10 mm Approach for Volar Locking Plates in Dorsal Displaced Distal Radius Fractures

• Published in: Journal of orthopaedic case reports Vol. 14; no. 6; pp. 186 - 190
• Main Authors: Kunishige, Ren, Naito, Kiyohito, Obata, Hiroyuki, Kawakita, So, Suzuki, Takamaru, Ishijima, Muneaki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Indian Orthopaedic Research Group 01.06.2024
• Subjects: Original; Distal radius fractures; minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis; conventional incision; 10 mm approach; volar locking plates
• ISSN: 2250-0685; 2321-3817
• DOI: 10.13107/jocr.2024.v14.i06.4546

The aim of this study was to investigate whether surgery with a 10 mm approach for volar locking plate fixation provides equivalent early post-operative outcomes to conventional incision surgery for distal radius fractures. The subjects were divided into a conventional incision group (mean age: 59.1 years, 8 males and 23 females) and a 10 mm approach group (mean age: 59.9 years of age, 6 males and 20 females). The wrist range of motion; grip strength; visual analog scale (VAS); quick disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (Q-DASH) score; and modified Mayo score were assessed at 3 months after surgery. In addition, radial inclination, ulnar variance, and volar tilt were evaluated on post-operative radiography. There was no significant difference between the groups in the wrist range of motion, grip strength, VAS, Q-DASH score, modified Mayo wrist score, and three parameters of post-operative radiography. All patients in both groups had no complications during the perioperative period. We found that a 10 mm approach obtained early post-operative outcomes and alignment comparable to conventional incision surgery for patients with dorsal displaced distal radius fractures.