Treatment of metaphysial distal radius fractures in children by Sauve Kapandji’s intrafocal reduction method and K-wiring- A retrospective analysis

Fractures of distal radius in metaphyseal region in paediatric age are one of most common orthopaedic injuries in the paediatric emergency department.1,2 The distal radius is considered as most common fracture site in the forearm fractures, accounting for 20–30%.3, 4 The presence of epiphysis, adjacent to the fracture, poses challenge in managing these fractures by conservative or operative means. There are concerns about the maintenance of reduction in conservative treatment, ability of the bone to completely remodel after malunion, especially fractures in children over the age of 10 years. In this study, the distal radius paediatric metaphyseal fractures, which were grossly displaced and/ or angulated were treated using Sauve Kapandji's reduction maneuver and were fixed with two parallel or cross smooth K wires. This mode of treatment gave satisfactory correction of fracture and maintainance of reduction till the union time. Grossly displaced fractures, children over 10 years, inadequately reduced fractures, the results found to be less than satisfactory. Sauve Kapandji's method of intra focal reduction gives excellent reduction, maintainance of reduction and also predictable and reproducible results in terms of function and cosmesis. Here we are retrospectively studying 20 consecutively treated patients of distal third metaphysial fractures of radius by using Sauve Kapandji's method of intrafocal reduction and fixation with K wiring at Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences between Jan 2017 to Dec 2017.