Pins and plaster treatment of comminuted fractures of the distal end of the radius

Abstract

The technique used in the treatment of seventy-five patients with severely comminuted, often intra-articular fractures near the wrist was as follows- Pins were inserted through the metacarpals and proximal part of the ulna, reduction was done, and the pins were incorporated in a cast from elbow to knuckles. This allowed movement of the fingers and the elbow. The main complications - loss of radial length and pintract infection - are avoided by attention to technical details. Of the patients with adequate follow-up, 86 per cent had good or excellent results.