ABSTRACT
The treatment of distal radius fractures has evolved as a variety
of management techniques have been introduced. These
include closed reduction and immobilization with splints or
casts (1-3), extrafocal or intrafocal percutaneous pinning (4-8),
external fixation (9-14), and different methods of internal
fixation (15-19). Nonetheless, fixation failure in osteoporotic
bone, poor reduction, and reflex sympathetic dystrophy remain
a concern for all techniques (20-24). Open reduction and
internal fixation performed by various methods has recently
gained acceptance, especially when stable reduction cannot be
achieved by manipulative means. Conventional buttress plate
fixation, however, has proven inadequate for the majority of
dorsal injuries due to poor fixation and frequent soft tissue
complications (25-29). For these reasons, fixed-angle internal
fixation through a dorsal or volar approach has been advocated.
The latter presents the advantage of avoiding extensor tendon
dysfunction (30,31). Most importantly, with fixed-angle fixation,
early range of motion can be initiated promptly even in patients
with poor bone stock (32,33).
