Percutaneous Kirschner-wire fixation of Colles fractures. A prospective study of thirty cases.

Thirty consecutive patients with a displaced Colles fracture were treated with closed reduction and percutaneous fixation with two Kirschner wires. There were no serious complications. Two of the thirty patients had a minor loss of reduction that did not compromise function. One of the twenty-eight patients who were available for one-year follow-up had a moderate loss of flexion and extension. No patient had a significant loss of rotation of the forearm. The study showed that additional fixation improves both the anatomical and the functional results after a Colles fracture. I recommend the use of percutaneous Kirschner-wire fixation if the articular surface of the radius is not comminuted into more than two fragments.