Pronator quadratus repair after volar plating of XXXX or not? Results of a prospective randomized trial.

@entity1 @entity158 @entity174
BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of the pronator quadratus (PQ) muscle repair following volar plate fixation of @entity174 with special regards to the forearm pronation strength. During the early recovery period of 3  months, an improvement of pronation strength and functional scorings was hypothesized for the PQ repair when compared to no repair. METHODS: The inclusion criteria were (1) @entity1 or @entity1 between 18 and 80  years, (2) isolated, closed @entity174 of the distal radius, (3) A2 to B2 types of @entity174 according to the AO @entity174 classification system, (4) primary volar locking plate osteosynthesis. @entity1 were randomized to group A  =  PQ repair and group B  =  no repair. Follow-up examinations after 6 and 12  weeks included bilateral isometric pronation strength measurement, range of motion, the QuickDASH and the Mayo-Wrist-Score, and a visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS: 60 @entity1 (n  =  31 in group A and n  =  29 in group B) with an average age of 54  years (range 22-77  years) returned for both follow-up visits. The pronation strength measurements showed no significant differences between groups (PQ repair vs. no repair) neither at 6  weeks nor at 12  weeks. Additionally, no statistical significant differences were noted for ROM, QuickDASH-Score or Mayo-Wrist-Score. The VAS scoring revealed a significant decreased @entity158 level after PQ repair at 6  weeks postoperatively (p  =  0.017). CONCLUSION: An improved pronation strength after PQ repair in the early rehabilitation period could not be confirmed. However, the PQ repair might reduce @entity158 in the early postoperative period. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02595229 (ClinicalTrials.gov, registered 02 November 2015).
