Radiographic and Clinical Comparison of Post-reduction Splinting Constructs in the Treatment of Acute Displaced Distal Radius Fractures

NYU Langone Health

Status: Completed

Conditions: Radius Fractures

Treatments: Other: Clam Shell Splint; Other: Sugar Tong Splint

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03570905

17-01697

Details and patient eligibility

About

Subjects with acute, displaced distal radius fractures will be randomized at the time of emergency room evaluation to one of two commonly accepted splinting methods for displaced distal radius fractures: sugar tong splints or volar/dorsal clam shell splints. Reduction will be performed in the usual, standard fashion and the selected splint applied. Standard radiographic measurements of alignment, including radial height, volar tilt and inclination will be measured on pre- and post- reduction radiographs by a single reviewer- who will be blinded to splint application type. At the first fracture follow-up visit, typically occurring between 5-10 days, as in standard practice, repeat radiographs of the wrist will be taken, and the same reviewer will measure alignment. As a secondary outcome, patients will also complete the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) questionnaire at this visit, to compare patients' ability to perform activities of daily living with their respective splints.

Enrollment: 87 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 100 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• acute, displaced distal radius fracture
• isolated injury

Exclusion criteria

• polytrauma
• non-displaced fracture
• prior wrist fracture

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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87 participants in 2 patient groups

Sugartong Splint

Experimental group

Treatment:

Other: Sugar Tong Splint

Clam Shell Splint

Experimental group

Treatment:

Other: Clam Shell Splint