Avoidance and treatment of complications of distal radius fractures.

The treatment of distal radius fractures continues to be fraught with complications. The more widespread use of internal fixation and supple-mental bone grafting with external fixation has decreased the incidence of malunions from closed-cast treatment and percutaneous pinning, but increased the risk of the complications specific to surgical intervention. Careful diagnosis, surgical planning, surgical technique, and postoperative rehabilitation can help optimize outcome in these difficult fractures.