Treatment of malunion of the distal radius

Abstract

Malunions of the distal radius are common. Although the best treatment is prevention, symptomatic malunions can be salvaged through more careful fracture management, by corrective osteotomy or, in the presence of post-traumatic arthritis, radiocarpal arthrodesis. Dynamic midcarpal instability following radius malunion does not respond as well to ligament repair or intercarpal arthrodesis as it does to osteotomy of the radius and correction of the malunion deformity.