OUTCOMES OF CLOSED REDUCTION AND PERCUTANEOUS K-WIRE FIXATION VERSUS CONVENTIONAL PLASTER CAST IMMOBILIZATION IN THE TREATMENT OF EXTRA-ARTICULAR FRACTURE DISTAL END OF RADIUS

Introduction: Fracture of the distal end of the radius is among the commonest skeletal injury with diverse treatment options. There is no clear consensus on functional outcomes about diverse treatment options. Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of reduction and compare the functional outcome between closed reduction supplemental percutaneous Kirschner wire fixation and conventional plaster cast immobilization for treatment of fracture distal end of the radius. Methodology: 60 patients with the distal end of radius fracture were selected and divided into two groups, group A (K-wire group): Patients with closed reduction and percutaneous K-wire fixation combined with plaster cast and group B (Cast group): Patients with closed reduction and conventional plaster cast immobilization randomly. Results: All patients in the cast group showed signs of clinical union compared to the k-wire group (96.66%) at 6 weeks. Meanwhile, all patients showed signs of both clinical and radiological union at the subsequent 12 weeks follow up. Patients in both groups showed a progressive decrease in disability scores. Conclusion: Group treated with k wire was more comfortable during the treatment period with less complication as compared to that of the cast group and had better functionality as well as the anatomical outcome. Regardless of the cost, we recommend K- wire fixation overcast application in the treatment of extra-articular distal end radius fracture.