Comparison of treatment of Volar Barton fracture with T plate using distal end screws and without distal end screws

To compare treatment of volar Barton’s fracture with T plate using distal end screws and without using distal end screws in terms of pain, range of motion (ROM), grip strength and activities compared to opposite side.

An open labelled, randomized controlled trial with parallel group designed of 60 patients, enrolling between March 2023 to December 2023.

This open label randomized controlled trial be conducted at the Department of Orthopedics unit-2 Mayo Hospital Lahore, Pakistan

Inclusion criteria were patients of either gender aged 18-60 years with closed volar Barton’s fracture with Mehara classification types-1 & II of duration < 5 days. Exclusion criteria were patients with infections, extensive comminution, open fracture with extensive soft tissue damage or contamination, neurological deficit, head injury or major vascular injury, ipsilateral upper limb trauma or those non-compliant to postoperative physiotherapy and follow up. Patients with severe osteoporosis or those with reduced functional requirement of wrist were also excluded.

In Group-A, patients were used T-plate with distal end screws and in Group-B, patients were used T-plate without distal end screws.

Pain, range of motion (ROM), grip strength and functional outcomes as per volar Barton’s fracture using Green O Brien scoring

The patients were randomly allocated to either T plate using distal end screws or T plate without distal end screws. The lottery method will be performed for randomization. A total of 60 paper slips will be folded and mixed in a lottery box. Then these 60 slips will be randomly divided in to either Group-1 (T plate using distal end screws) or Group-2 (T plate without distal end screws). Equal number of patients will be randomly allocated to both groups (30 in each group).