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A MODIFIED KAPANDJI PROCEDURE FOR SMITH’S FRACTURE IN CHILDREN

Department of Orthopaedics, Children’s Hospital, 54511 Vandoeuvre-L‘es-Nancy, France.

Correspondence should be sent to Dr J.-M. Guichet at 2 Square Alexis Carrel, 54600 Villers-L‘es-Nancy, France.

Anteriorly displaced fractures of the wrist can be treated by the Kapandji technique of percutaneous intrafocal pinning with pins inserted through an anterior approach to give good reduction and stabilisation of the fracture. We have modified this technique by placing the pins through a posterior approach which decreases the risks of neurovascular damage.

We have used this method to treat six children with distal radial fractures showing anterior displacement or instability. Good anterior stabilisation was achieved. The pins were removed at an average of eight weeks and the patients were then able to return to full activity.

This simple technique can be used for unstable fractures after the failure of conservative treatment or in bilateral fractures in adolescents.