A Randomized Prospective Study on the Treatment of Intra-Articular Distal Radius Fractures: Open Reduction and Internal Fixation With Dorsal Plating Versus Mini Open Reduction, Percutaneous Fixation, and External Fixation

At midterm analysis the dorsal plate group showed a significantly higher complication rate compared with the external fixator group; therefore enrollment in the study was terminated. The dorsal plate group also showed statistically significant higher levels of pain, weaker grip strength, and longer surgical and tourniquet times. Based on these results we cannot recommend the use of dorsal plates in treating complex intra-articular fractures of the distal radius.