The measurement of dorsal radial tilt by x-ray and computed tomography.

OBJECTIVE

We conducted this study to define and measure the dorsal radial tilt, and to guide the reduction of distal radius fractures and the pre-bending of steel plates used in surgery.

METHODS

The dorsal radial tilt was measured using both computed tomography (CT) and x-ray from both left and right side. The differences and correlations of the data measured by those two methods and from two sides were analyzed.

RESULTS

The tilts measured by x-ray were significantly bigger than those measured by CT from the left side (t=55.51, p < 0.01) and from the right side (t=49.81, p < 0.01). The tilts measured by those two methods from the left and right sides were correlated (r=0.85, p < 0.01; r=0.81, p < 0.01). The dorsal radial tilts measured from the left side were not significantly different from those measured from the right side by CT (t=1.49, p > 0.05) and by x-ray (t=1.51, p > 0.05). The dorsal radial tilts measured from the left side by CT were significantly different from those measured from the right side by x-ray (t=43.07, p < 0.01), and these two sets of data were correlated (r=0.71, p < 0.01). The dorsal radial tilts measured from the left side by x-ray was significantly different from that measured from right side by CT (t=40.43, p < 0.01), and those two sets of data were also correlated (r=0.75, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The dorsal radial tilts measured from one side by one method can be used to estimate the tilts measured from the other side / the same side by the same method / the other method.