Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36125012›Full record

ReviewEFORT open reviews2022

Volar locking plate vs cast immobilization for distal radius fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Lorenzo Massimo Oldrini, Pietro Feltri, Jacopo Albanese, Stefano Lucchina, Giuseppe Filardo, Christian Candrian

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in EFORT open reviews, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.2field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Comparison of surgical and conservative therapy in older patients with distal radius fracture: a prospective randomized clinic al trial.Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Lorenzo Massimo OldriniService of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Department of Surgery, EOC, Lugano, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-4302-6246
Pietro FeltriService of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Department of Surgery, EOC, Lugano, Switzerland.
Jacopo AlbaneseService of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Department of Surgery, EOC, Lugano, Switzerland.
Stefano LucchinaService of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Department of Surgery, EOC, Lugano, Switzerland.
Giuseppe FilardoService of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Department of Surgery, EOC, Lugano, Switzerland.
Christian CandrianService of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Department of Surgery, EOC, Lugano, Switzerland.
Università della Svizzera italiana · CHOspedale Regionale di Locarno · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate whether volar locking plate (VLP) fixation leads to better clinical and radiological outcomes than those of closed reduction and cast immobilization for the treatment of distal radius fractures (DRFs). Materials and methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases up to January 2022. Inclusion criteria included randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies comparing VLP fixation with cast immobilization for DRFs. Investigated parameters were Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation questionnaire, Disabilities of the Harm, Shoulder, and Hand score (DASH), range of motion (ROM), grip strength, quality of life (QoL), radiological outcome, and complication and reoperation rate, both at short- and mid-/long-term follow-up. Assessment of risk of bias and quality of evidence was performed with Downs and Black's 'Checklist for Measuring Quality'. Results: A total of 12 RCTs (1368 patients) were included. No difference was found for ROM, grip strength, QoL, and reoperation, while the DASH at 3 months was statistically better in the VLP group (P < 0.05). No clinical differences were confirmed at longer follow-up. From a radiological perspective, only radial inclination (4°) and ulnar variance (mean difference 1.1 mm) at >3 months reached statistical significance in favor of the VLP group (both P < 0.05). Fewer complications were found in the VLP group (P < 0.05), but they did not result in different reintervention rates. Conclusions: This meta-analysis showed that the surgical approach leads to a better clinical outcome in the first months, better fracture alignment, and lower complication rate. However, no differences in the clinical outcomes have been confirmed after 3 months. Overall, these findings suggest operative treatment for people with higher functional demand requiring a faster recovery, while they support the benefit of a more conservative approach in less demanding patients.

Indexed as

cast immobilizationcast reductiondistal radius fractureDRFVLPvolar locking plate

Identifiers

PMID36125012
PMCPMC9624483
OpenAlexW4296787881

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.