Plating the radial shaft on the lateral surface: An outcome study

PURPOSE: Plate fixation is the gold standard for the treatment of displaced forearm shaft fractures in adults. Conventionally radial shaft fractures will be plated either on the volar surface or on the dorsal surface depending on which approach has been chosen. The lateral surface of the radius provides an even and uniformly curved area for placing a plate. It has the advantage of restoring and easy assessing the radial bow after surgery. We designed a prospective study to observe the outcome of lateral plating of radius shaft fractures. METHODS: Nineteen patients were included in this study performed in Government Medical College, Jammu, India. Among them, 13 had fractures of both the forearm bones and 6 had isolated radial shaft fracture. Three patients had Galeazzi fracture dislocation. Fixation was done within 36 h of injury in all using 3.5 mm limited contact dynamic compression plate or locking compression plate applied to the lateral surface of the radius. Ulna was fixed in routine manner. RESULTS: Union was achieved in 18 out of 19 patients, after a mean time of 17.44 weeks. According to Anderson et al.'s criteria, 12 patients had excellent results, 5 had satisfactory and 1 had unsatisfactory result. There was one failure (nonunion). CONCLUSION: The outcomes including rate of union were comparable to those in the existing literature. Plating the radial shaft on the lateral surface is a viable alternative to volar or dorsal plating of the radius. Larger studies with randomized data are needed to assess whether it has any superiority over other existing techniques.