Fractures of the distal end of the radius treated by internal fixation and early function. A preliminary report of 20 cases.

Fractures of the distal end of the radius should be treated on the same principles as other fractures involving joints. Displaced articular fractures require open reduction to allow anatomical reconstruction of both the radiocarpal and the radio-ulnar joints. For extra-articular fractures with severe comminution and shortening this enables the radial length to be re-established achieving radio-ulnar congruency. Stable internal fixation can be achieved with two 2.0 AO titanium plates placed on each of the 'lateral' and the 'intermediate' columns of the wrist at an angle of 50 degrees to 70 degrees. This gives good stability despite the tiny dimensions of the plates, and allows early function. We report a series of 20 fractures treated by this method of internal fixation with satisfactory results in all.