Minimally invasive surgical treatment of distal radius fractures

Abstract

Patient demand, surgeons’ interest, and evolving technology have driven the trend towards minimally invasive surgery in order to improve cosmesis, minimize soft tissue trauma, and allow potential superior fracture healing by minimally disturbing the biological environment around fractures. Minimally invasive joint replacement surgery, arthroscopic surgery, and locking screw technology have been some of the newer developments in orthopedics that have significantly altered patient care and potentially the outcomes that can be achieved. In this regard, fractures of the distal radius have also been reexamined to see if minimally invasive surgery would be possible in treating this increasingly common fracture of the upper extremity and one of the leading reasons for visits to the emergency room. Intramedullary fixation of the distal radius has now been used for several years, and preliminary data have shown that it is an effective treatment of extraarticular or simple intra-articular fractures [1-5].