FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES OF LIGAMENTOTAXIS WITH EXTERNAL FIXATOR IN UNSTABLE DISTAL RADIUS FRACTURE

Abstract

Background:

Distal radius fractures are considered to be among the most frequent orthopedic injuries. To regain the functionality of the wrist, it is necessary to attain anatomical reduction and stability. External fixation Ligamentotaxis has extensive applications in the treatment of unstable distal radius fractures because it offers indirect reduction and stable fixation with minimal disturbance of the soft tissues.

Objective:

To establish the functional results of ligamentotaxis using external fixator on patients with unstable distal radial breaks.

Methods:

The current descriptive research was carried out in the Department of Orthopedics and it spanned 4 months from 01-01-2025 to 30-04-2025. Non-probability consecutive sampling was used to include 149 patients aged 1860 years with unstable distal radius fractures, of AO type B and C. External fixation of all patients was done on the basis of ligamentotaxis. The modified Sarmiento version of the Gartland and Werley scoring system was used at 12 weeks of postoperative assessment of functional outcomes. The data were examined by the SPSS version 25, and both inferential and descriptive statistics were done.

Results:

The average age of patients amounted to 38.72 with a standard deviation of 10.41 years. It was found that excellent functional results were in 63 (42.3) patients, good results in 52 (34.9) patients, fair results in 23 (15.4) patients, and poor results in 11 (7.4) patients. The functional outcomes were significantly associated with age and duration of fracture prior to surgery (p ≤ 0.05).

Conclusion:

External fixation with ligamentotaxis gives good functional results to patients with unstable distal radius fractures and can be used as a treatment possibility in the right clinical environment.