Abstract

Introduction: It is controversial whether volar plates match the palmar curve of the distal radius. In this study, we aimed to describe the volar cortical angle (VCA) of the normal distal radius in an adult Turkish population.
Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the distal radius computed tomography scans of 206 normal wrists in adults. The age range was 18–90 years, with a mean age of 41.91 (SD = 16.90). Of the 206 patients, 155 (75.20%) were men and 51 (24.80%) were women. VCA measurements were performed on all distal radius in the sagittal plane.
Results: The mean middle, radial and ulnar VCA were 34.02o, 31.84o and 37.27o, respectively. There were statistically significant differences between the ulnar, middle and radial VCAs (p < .001). The ulnar VCA was significantly greater in males than in females (37.55o vs. 36.41o, p = .040). The ulnar VCA was significantly higher for the 41–60 age group than the 61 and above age group (37.78o vs. 35.90o, p = 0.005).
Conclusion: There are significant differences in VCA based on age and gender. Commercially available plates may not have a flexion angle that accurately reflects the patient’s VCA. Physicians should be vigilant about the fact that pre-contoured plates may lead to malreduction of the distal radius.

Key words: distal radius fracture; malreduction; palmar cortical angle; volar plate.