Clinical and radiological outcomes of distal radius fractures treated with orif with volar fixed-angle plates

Distal radius fractures are the most common fractures of the upper limbs and represent 17% of all fractures treated in emergency medicine. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the correlation between the clinical and radiographic outcomes obtained with surgical osteosynthesis using volar plates for the treatment of articular fractures of the wrist. We evaluated a series of 50 consecutive patients from January 2010 to December 2013 who had undergone surgery, aged 24 to 75, for distal metaepiphyseal fractures of the radius, with or without distal ulnar involvement. All patients were evaluated clinically and radiographically, pre-operatively and post-operatively. For the clinical evaluation, the DASH score and Mayo Wrist clinical rating scale were used. After one year, the range of movement of the wrist was very satisfactory, and the mean grip strength was 77.5% of the opposite wrist. The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score was 18 and the Mayo Modified Wrist Score was 82.5. Complex articular distal radius fractures, like those of other sites, needed an appropriate surgical treatment and the fixation with the volar LCP system demonstrated its validity for the stabilization of these fractures, the articular surface reconstruction and prompt mobilization. All the clinical results were related to the patients’ age, the functional needs, the physiotherapy and the individual recovery.