Should anatomic reduction be pursued in distal radial fractures?

Two articles on distal radial fractures in young adults are published in this issue of the journal. One reports the results of open reduction and internal fixation with the pi -plate in a group of patients in which the majority of fractures were complex and intraarticular. The other retrospectively assessed 169 fractures with an average follow-up of 4.9 years, based on the radiographic evaluation of the patient's X-rays until discharge and on the answers provided by a patient-based subjective outcome questionnaire. My task has been to comment, criticize and analyse the findings and results reported in both articles, in order to highlight areas of uncertainty and controversy regarding the current management of fractures of the distal radius in the younger age group. Copyright 2000 The British Society for Surgery of the Hand.