Volar Plating or External Fixation of Dorsally Displaced Fractures of the Distal Radius?

Danderyd Hospital

Status: Completed

Conditions: Radius Fractures

Treatments: Procedure: closed reduction and external fixation; Procedure: Internal fixation with a volar locked plate

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00989222

2005/4:8

Details and patient eligibility

About

Promising results have been reported after volar locked plating of unstable dorsally displaced fractures of the distal radius. It offers stable fixation and early mobilization. The investigators' aim is to test if volar locked plating results in better patient-perceived, objective functional and radiological outcomes compared to the less invasive external fixation that has been the standard operation for decades.

Enrollment: 63 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20 to 70 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• An acute unilateral Colles' fracture (AO class A and C1) with a dorsal angulation of more than 20 degrees or radial shortening of 4 mm or more, AND
• Patient aged 20-70 years with no previous fracture of either wrist.

Exclusion criteria

• Bilateral fractures,
• Other current injury to the upper extremities,
• Dementia, OR
• Severe comminution or too small distal fragment to allow plating.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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63 participants in 2 patient groups

Volar locked plate

Other group

Description:

Open reduction and fixation of a unstable dorsally displaced fracture of the distal radius with a volar locked plate

Treatment:

Procedure: Internal fixation with a volar locked plate

External fixation

Other group

Description:

Fixation of an unstable dorsally displaced fracture of the distal radius with bridging external fixation

Treatment:

Procedure: closed reduction and external fixation