Discussion
DRFs, pain
SECONDARY
In this randomized clinical trial for patients with DRFs, we compared clinical outcomes of treatment with volar locking plate fixation performed with either an SVA or a PqSA. We found that the SVA group showed significantly favourable PRWE and DASH scores, compared to the PqSA group, at 6 months after surgery. These scores were defined a priori as primary and secondary outcome parameters. At all other included time points, the PRWE, DASH, and MMWS values were not significantly different between the two study groups.Since the volar approach has evolved into the standard surgical approach for treating DRFs, it has remained controversial as to whether the PQ muscle should be repaired [Previous studies that compared PQ repair to non-repair did not find any differences in clinical outcome at 6 and 12 months postoperatively [A minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis combined with a pronator-sparing approach was first described by Sen and Harvey in 2008 [Our results did not support our hypothesis. The two study groups showed no significant difference in the MMWS at any evaluated time point. The MMWS is a physician-based scoring system that evaluates pain, active wrist extension and flexion, and wrist grip strength (expressed as percentages of analogous measurements in the contralateral wrist) in addition to the ability to return to regular work and activities [In this study, the PRWE was the primary patient-reported outcome measure. Originally described by MacDermid et al. in 1998 [This study had some limitations. As opposed to previous studies [In conclusion, this randomized comparative clinical trial failed to demonstrate clinically relevant differences in outcomes between the PqSA and SVA for volar plate osteosynthesis in patients with DRFs.