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Evidence summaries

Late Displacement of Fractures of the Distal Radius

Late displacement (after one week) may be common in Colles' fractures treated by closed reduction and plaster cast. Late rereduction may lead to permanent improvement in position. Level of evidence: "C"

A prospective radiological study 1 included 170 Colles' fractures that were treated by closed reduction and a plaster cast. Among the seventeen fractures which were malunited, twelve had definitely displaced after the 11th day.

Roentgenograms of 40 rereduced Colles' fractures were reviewed 2. It was found that early rereduction (1-6 days after primary reduction) led to lasting improvement of the fracture's position in only 2 of 15 cases, whereas late rereduction (7-15 days after primary reduction) led to permanent improvement in 15 of 30 cases with respect to dorsal angulation and in 9 cases to radial shortening.

References

  • Abbaszadegan H, von Sivers K, Jonsson U. Late displacement of Colles' fractures. Int Orthop 1988;12(3):197-9. [PubMed]
  • Collert S, Isacson J. Management of redislocated Colles' fractures. Clin Orthop Relat Res 1978 Sep;(135):183-6. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords