ReviewAnnals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England2016
Adult distal radius fractures classification systems: essential clinical knowledge or abstract memory testing?
Review in Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed.
- Topology-Optimized Splints vs Casts for Distal Radius Fractures: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2024Trial
- Distal Radius Fracture Classifications in Real Life: Reliability and How They Change Treatment.Journal of hand surgery global online · 2026Article
- Interobserver and Intraobserver Reliability of a Novel Classification System for Distal Radioulnar Joint Instability.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A Computer Vision and Machine Learning Approach to Classify Views in Distal Radius Radiographs.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2025Article
- K-wires as a valid alternative to dual and single headless cannulated compression screw fixation of chauffeur fractures: a biomechanical comparison.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2025Article
- Open-source convolutional neural network to classify distal radial fractures according to the AO/OTA classification on plain radiographs.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2025Article
- Multimodality Imaging in Wrist Fractures and Dislocations.The Indian journal of radiology & imaging · 2025Review
- Assessment of Reproducibility and Agreement of the IDEAL Classification for Distal Radius Fractures.Revista brasileira de ortopedia · 2024Article
- Distal radius fractures-Why do they fail?Journal of orthopaedics · 2024Article
- Article
- Outcome Analysis of Adult Distal Radius Fractures Managed during COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of orthopaedic case reports · 2023Article
- Performance of ChatGPT, human radiologists, and context-aware ChatGPT in identifying AO codes from radiology reports.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Three Column Fixation Through a Single Incision in Distal Radius Fractures.Journal of wrist surgery · 2023Article
- Evaluation of Intra- and Interobserver Reproducibility of the New AO/OTA Classification for Distal Radius Fractures Compared with the Fernandez Classification.Revista brasileira de ortopedia · 2022Article
- Article
- Computed Tomography and Pathobiomechanical-Based Treatment of Volar Distal Radius Fractures.Journal of wrist surgery · 2022Article
- Variations in Strain Distribution at Distal Radius under Different Loading Conditions.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Artificial intelligence for the detection of vertebral fractures on plain spinal radiography.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- Higher Mortality in Men Compared with Women following Distal Radius Fracture in Population Aged 50 Years or Above: Are Common Distal Radius Fracture Classifications Useful in Predicting Mortality?BioMed research international · 2019Article
- Tech-trends in orthopedics 2018.Acta orthopaedica · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Classification systems should be tools for concise communication, which ideally can predict prognosis and guide treatment. They should be relevant, reproducible, reliable, properly validated and most importantly simple to use and understand. There are 15 described distal radius classification systems present in the literature in the past 70 years, of which 8 are discussed in this paper. For each classification, we give an insight into its history, strengths and weaknesses, and provide evidence from the literature on reliability and reproducibility. Sadly, on completion of this paper we have not found a distal radius fracture classification that proved to be useful. Failings range from poor reproducibility and reliability, and over-complexity mainly emanating from the inability to classify this spectrum of injury in all of its manifestations. Consequently, we would suggest that classification systems for acute adult distal radius fractures are not useful clinical knowledge but mainly historical and/or research tools. Moreover, we would discourage trainees from spending time learning these classifications, as they serve not as essential clinical knowledge but more as forms of abstract memory testing.
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