Preoperative Factors Associated With Early- to Medium-Term Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Volar Locking Plate Fixation of Distal Radius Fractures.

Authors

Martin Franke, Samuel Raymond, James Ledgard, Belinda Rouvray, Joanna Prior, Brahman Sivakumar

Published in

ANZ journal of surgery. Jul 19, 2026. Epub Jul 19, 2026.

Abstract

Distal radius fractures are common injuries with a substantial burden of disease. Although volar locking plate fixation is commonly used, the relationship between preoperative factors and early- to medium-term patient-reported outcomes remains poorly delineated. This study examined whether patient characteristics, injury features and routine prereduction radiographic measurements were associated with 3-month Patient-Rated Wrist and Hand Evaluation (PRWHE) scores after volar locking plate fixation.
A retrospective cohort study at a tertiary trauma centre was conducted. Adults who underwent volar locking plate fixation were identified from a prospectively maintained registry. Demographics, comorbidities, injury details and prereduction radiographs were reviewed. The primary outcome was the PRWHE score at 3 months postoperative. Grip strength and range of motion were also assessed, where available. Multivariable linear regression analysis evaluated associations between preoperative factors and PRWHE scores. Sensitivity analysis utilised complete-case analysis, and paired testing was used to assess temporal associations.
Amongst prereduction radiographic factors, greater sagittal translation and ulnar styloid fracture were associated with poorer patient-reported outcomes. Older age was associated with worse function, and female sex was associated with better outcomes. When considering clinician-measured outcomes, greater grip strength and ulnar deviation were associated with superior patient-reported outcomes. Analysis of the small paired 3- to 6-month cohort revealed improvement in pain, grip strength and wrist range of motion.
Certain prereduction radiographic features, male sex and older age are associated with poorer patient-reported outcomes following volar locking plate fixation of distal radius fractures. These findings may assist in preoperative counselling, prognostication and identification of patients at risk.
III.

PMID:
42472773
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Jul 2026.

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