DOI: 10.36347sjams.2017.v05i10.086

Pages: 4244-4251

The fracture of the distal end of radius are the most common fractures that we encounter. With the increase in high velocity trauma, there has been an increase in the incidence and fracture patterns of the distal radius We conducted a prospective on distal radius fractures with 30 patients. All cases of distal radius fractures were considered between the age group of 25 and 70 years. Frykman’s classification was used to classify the fractures. The patients were followed up every three weeks following surgery. The patients were assessed subjectively and objectively using New York Hospital Wrist Scoring system. The anatomical and functional results were good in 44.44% of patients treated with external fixation. There were no patients having good functional outcome at the end of one-year follow-up with internal fixation. 22.22% of patients treated by external fixation had fair results while 75% of the patients managed by internal fixation had fair results. Under the category of poor results, there was 33.33% of external fixation and 25% of buttress plating. The fair and poor results were due to pin tract infection in external fixation whereas it was loss of joint motion in internal fixation, due to difficulty intra articular geometry of the fracture pattern. The incidence of complications in internal fixation (25%) were fewer compared to external fixation.The incidence of complications and poor results in internal fixation are fewer when compared to external fixation in this study. Patients managed with buttress plating had better functional outcome and returned to their daily routine earlier than those patients managed with ligamentotaxis.