Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part B (2024)

Background: Intra-articular fractures of the distal radius are commonly encountered injury. It is prevalent in the elderly due to osteoporosis. There is still controversy on the most optimal treatment method.
Patient and method: This is a prospective study conducted on forty patients with intra-articular fracture of the distal radius. The mean age of the studied group (n = 40) was 40±15 years, ranging from 25 to 55 years. Six patients (15%) were 50 years of age or older, and 34 patients were younger than 50 years (85%). There were 34 males and 6 females. Thirteen patients were left-handed, and 27 were right-handed. Twenty-six patients were manual workers, and 14 patients were office workers.
Results: At the final follow-up, according to the Mayo wrist score, 70% of patients achieved excellent, 25% good, and 5% fair results. According to the Sarmiento radiological score, eighty-five percent of the patients achieved excellent outcomes, 13% achieved good results, and 2% achieved fair results. In the current study, few complications were recorded in 7 patients, including 2 malunions, 2 superficial infection, 2 complex regional pain syndrome with stiffness, and one carpal tunnel syndrome. 
Conclusion: The concept of the volar locking plates with variable-angle screws as becoming widely used for treatment of distal radius fractures is an effective method and associated with excellent and good functional outcome. We are reporting a technical point of inserting the first screw in the ulnar hole of the plate as recommended to achieve proper reduction of the fracture fragments.