Screw impingement on the extensor tendons in distal radius fractures treated by volar plating: sonographic appearance.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to analyze the sonography examinations of nine consecutive patients with a history of distal radius fracture treated by open reduction and internal fixation of the volar plate who were referred by hand surgeons for sonography of the dorsal aspect of the wrist.

CONCLUSION: We postulate that impingement of the extensor tendons in patients with distal radius fracture treated by volar plating starts with local hyperemia and is followed by tenosynovitis and, finally, by partial and complete tendon tears. Sonography is an effective, dynamic, and noninvasive technique with which to diagnose and evaluate damage to the extensor tendons and their synovial sheaths.