Treatment of Colles' Fracture with Percutaneous Pinning

Chung, Min Young; Rhi, Won Suck; Chung, Jin Young; Koo, Sung Ho; Jeun, Soo Young; Chae, Young Ho

Abstract

Colles' fracture is a common injury encountered in emergency departments. Despite the frequent experience of every orthopedic surgeon with Colles' fracture, considerable variation remains in the treatment of fracture of the distal radius. Everyone nearly agress that reduction of the fracture is not difficult, but maintenance of reduction is the problem. Eighty patients with Colles' fracture were treated with closed reduction and percutaneous pinning under the C-arm fields and followed up more than 1 year, from January 1990 to May 1993 at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Dae Han Hospital. The results of this study were as follows: 1. The fractures were classified according to the system of Gartland and Werley. Of the 80 cases, 12(5%) were type 1; 25(31%) type 2; and 43(54%) type 3. 2. Complications were such as; temporary neuropathy of median nerve 2 cases, redisplacement 2 cases, radiocarpal arthritis 1 cases, stiff hand 1 case and shoulder hand syndrome 1 case. 3. The overall assessment showed exellent in 29 patients(36.2%), good in 44 patients(55,0%) and poor in 7 patients(8.8%) under the subjective and objective criteria of Gartland and Werley and the objective criteia of Scheck. 4. The results were mainly correlated with maintenance of an anatomical reduction. 5. The percutaneous pinning was suitable for anatomical restoration and maintence, had less com plication and more advantage such as the early range of joint and simple technique. Conclusively, it was considered to be one of ideal method for the treatment of Colles' fracture in selected cases.