RADIOCARPAL FRACTURE DISLOCATIONS: A NEW CLASSIFICATION AND TREATMENT PROPOSAL

Introduction: The radiographic and surgical findings, and treatment of radiocarpal fracture dislocations, were analyzed retrospectively in 40 patients. Materials and Methods: All patients were classified according to Dumontier's radiological classification and compared with the surgical findings. Based on this analysis, a new classification and treatment are proposed. Results: From 1995 to 2018, 40 patients with radiocarpal fracture dislocation underwent surgery. Thirty-six were males and four were females. The mean age was twenty-four years (range: 18-45). Three dislocations were volar dislocations and 37 were displaced dorsally. Initially, 8 (20%) patients were classified as group I, 29 (72.5%) as group II, and 3 (7.5%) remained unclassified. The main variations occurred in group II. Seven fractures were stable after radial styloid fixation and 6 remained unstable. Sixteen fractures presented articular fragments or an interposed capsule, which prevented anatomical reduction using conservative maneuvers. Conclusion: Based in our intraoperative observations and surgical results, we believe that a more detailed classification should be adopted.