Use of the volar fixed angle plate for comminuted distal radius fractures and augmentation with a hydroxyapatite bone graft substitute.

Treatment of distal radius fractures with a volar fixed angle plate achieves sufficient stabilisation and permits early physical exercise. However, secondary displacement after surgery sometimes occurs in elderly patients with a metaphyseal comminution and/or cases in which the subchondral support pegs were not placed immediately below the subchondral zone. We treated elderly patients suffering from distal radius fractures with metaphyseal comminution, using both volar fixed angle plate with or without augmentation with a hydroxyapatite bone graft substitute to investigate the benefit of augmentation for maintaining a fracture reduction. We evaluated the differences among radiographic parameters including palmar tilt, radial inclination, and ulnar variance on immediate postoperative and final follow-up radiographs to analyse the maintenance of the initial reduction. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of palmar tilt (P = 0.80) and radial inclination (P = 0.17); however, ulnar variance increased significantly in the group treated with a volar fixed angle plate without augmentation (P < 0.05). It might be useful to use a combination technique of a locking plate system and the hydroxyapatite bone graft substitute as augmentation to treat distal radius comminuted fractures in elderly patients.