Distal Radius Fracture : – Treatment, Complications, and Risk Factors for Re-operation.

Introduction: Distal radius fractures (DRF’s) are one of the most common types of fractures,especially in elderly women. In the last decade, there has been a shift in the treatment methodemployed for DRF’s from the traditional non-operative to an operative method using plates andscrews even though there is no evidence to suggest that this method has superior outcomes. Aim: The primary objective of this study was to identify risk factors for complications and reoperationsin the treatment of DRF’s. Method: The study was designed as a retrospective cohort study. Patients treated for DRF’sbetween 2016-2017 were included through the Swedish Fracture Register and complementedwith the patients’ charts and classification of X-Ray Images from The Orthopedic Clinic at TheCentral Hospital in Karlstad. The risk for re-operation was valued through treatment methodsand fracture classification and presented as Odds Ratio. Result: Positive ulnar variance was correlated to having an increased risk for re-operation, OR4.8 (95% CI 1.7-13.8). Those who had volar comminution in their fracture had a greater risk forre-operation, OR 12.4 (95% CI 4.6-34.1, p<0.001), but also a greater risk for correctiveosteotomy, OR 12.6 (95% CI 1.4-113.9, p=0.024). Conclusion: Volar comminution and positive ulnar variance are associated with an increasedrisk for re-operation. However, the degree of the risk is difficult to measure due to the lowincidence of re-operations