Abstract
A total of 35 patients with the fracure of the distal radius who had been treated between 1985 and 1989 were evaluatede by radiologic findings and mail questionnaires. Thirty-one Colles' fractures, one Smith's fracture and three Barton's fractures were included in this study. The mean age at the initial diagnosis was 59 years and the mean follow-up period was 27 months. Twenty-five out of 35 patients were female. Among 35 patients, plaster cast alone was applied on 28 cases, transcutaneous pinning or external pin fixation on 4 cases, and operative intervention on 3 cases. According to Gartland's classification, 22 cases were classified group I fracture, 4 were group II, and the remained 6 were group III. According to measurement of radial deviation, dorsal tilt and radial length, 12 were excellent, 9 were good, 2 were fair, and 1 was poor. By the score obtained from mail questionnaire, 23 were excellent, 9 were good, 2 were fair, and 1 was poor. In patients who were over 70 years old, they were relatively satisfied to the result and there was no significant relationship between radiologic findings and symptoms in this study. However, our results suggested that appropriate anatomical reduction and rehabilitation were needed for the physical workers, especially who were younger than 70 years old.
