CASE REPORT   

Chirurgia 2017 April;30(2):55-9

DOI: 10.23736/S0394-9508.16.04580-0

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

The use of Colles splint to restore the palmar tilt in Colles fractures

Yongsheng MA,Yongqiang SUN ✉

Department of Orthopedics, Second Affiliated Hospital, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China

Different methods exist to treat Colles’ fractures, such as palmar plate fixation with locking screws and percutaneous K-wire fixation. In very distal fractures or in cases of extensive disease, flexible intramedullary nails have been utilized. Palmar tilt was found to be better restored with these operations. A Colles’ splint was fixed on a 64 year-old female patient with a Colles’ fracture and dorsal displacement in January 2015. Upon radiological examination, it was observed that the palmar tilt had disappeared and severe deformity had occurred the day following a simple fall. Physicians have to be aware of the risk of such late complications regarding this device with serious implications for the patient. We treated the fractures with a Colles’ splint in a special shape so as to make it fit more easily in the physiological structure of the wrist, especially the palmar tilt. The patient recovered 5 weeks after restoration and fixation. In conclusion, the Colles’ splint offers good therapeutic options in the treatment of Colles’ fractures.

KEY WORDS: Splints - Wrist injuries - Colles’ fracture