A Six-Year Clinical Profile of Distal Radius Fractures in a South Asian Population

Abstract

Background: The description, types and management of distal radius fractures have not been evaluated for a South Asian population. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical profile of distal radius fractures in adults over a 6-year period. Methods: The medical records of distal radius fracture patients, aged 18 years and above admitted between August 2014 and 2020 were assessed. Epidemiological profile, fracture classification, treatment and reasons for implant removal were assessed. Results: A total of 1066 distal radius fractures in 1005 inpatients were identified. The mean age was 42.1 ± 15.3 years (50.2 years [male] & 39.7 years [female]). A total of 65.5% patients sustained high-energy injury. 38.6% (n = 411) of fractures were classified as extra-articular AO-23-A, 24.3% (n = 259) as partially intra-articular AO-23-B and 39% (n = 416) as intra-articular AO-23-C. The treatment was non-surgical for 20.9% and surgical for 79.1% of cases. Plate fixation was the most frequently used surgical method followed by percutaneous pinning and external fixation. The proportion of patients treated by each modality remained constant based on a year-wise analysis of data. A total of 56 patients underwent implant removal, most commonly at the request of the patient. Conclusions: Our study is the longest study in a South Asian setting where the population is younger, with a male pre-ponderance, sustaining high-energy injury as compared to the literature. This can be attributed to our study population being inpatients only. As population-based fracture registry is not available in our country, hospital-based studies such as ours provide the best option to study fracture patterns, distribution and trends in treatment. Level of Evidence: Level IV