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SMITH'S FRACTURE: A REVIEW
Author(s) -
Paterson Dennis C.
Publication year - 1966
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.111
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 0004-8682
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.1966.tb05508.x
Subject(s) - medicine , wrist , reduction (mathematics) , fracture (geology) , elbow , surgery , wrist injury , general surgery , orthodontics , geometry , geotechnical engineering , mathematics , engineering
Summary Although an uncommon injury, Smith's fracture is a fracture around a wrist joint which must be remembered in all injuries in this vicinity. Its diagnosis was missed in 75 per cent of cases in this series. Smith's fractures fall into 4 distinct types as determined by the patient's age and X‐ray appearances. It is suggested that all Smith's fractures should be reduced with the hand in maximum supination, in an above‐elbow plaster cast, for six weeks. Even when adequately treated, all patients are left with some disability, but this is very much less than in those where the diagnosis is missed or the fracture treated as a Colles' fracture, or treated by open reduction.