Delayed open surgery for distal radius epiphyseal plate fracture in children.

OBJECTIVES

This study assessed the feasibility of open surgery and determined outcome predictors for late management of epiphyseal plate fracture of the distal radius in children.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 25 patients (22 male, 3 female) who underwent open surgery for late management of epiphyseal plate fracture of the distal radius. Wrist function was evaluated on Cooney score. Potential predictors comprised age, gender, fracture type, days after injury (DAI), degree of violence (DOV), and dorsal angulation before surgery (DABS).

RESULTS

Overall, wrist function after surgery was classified as excellent for 16 patients (64%), good for 6 (24%), and fair for 3 (12%). The rate of excellent wrist function was 86.7% (13/15) in children older than 10 years but only 40% (4/10) for those aged under 10 years (p = 0.0280). Cooney score correlated positively with age, but there was no correlation with gender, fracture type, DAI, DOV or DABS.

CONCLUSION

Open reduction surgery for late management of distal radius epiphyseal fracture yielded good results in patients aged over 10 years.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.