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IntroductionDistal radius fractures are common, but the results and complications of treatment with early external fixation and staged open reduction internal fixation have not been previously reported.Materials and methodsPatients who received staged distal radius fracture treatment from 1/1/2008 to 12/31/2015 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham were identified. Patient, injury, and treatment characteristics, as well as complications, were collected from the medical record.ResultsThere were 50 fractures in 47 patients, with mean follow-up of 9.3 months. Thirty-eight were open and 45 were intra-articular. For definitive treatment, 41 received a volar approach and nine a dorsal approach. Twenty wrists experienced one or more complications, including two non-unions. Five patients developed infections – one Kirschner wire site infection, one external fixator (ex-fix) pin site infection, and three deep infections. All deep infections occurred in tobacco users. The rate of deep infection with volar approach was 2.4%, compared to 22.2% with dorsal approach. Ex-fix pin sites overlapped radiographically with the plate in 20 fractures, with three deep infections in this group (15%) and no deep infections in the group without overlap. None of these differences reached statistical significance.ConclusionsThis protocol results in reliable healing of complex fractures, with a 96% union rate. However, 40% sustained complications. We conclude that this protocol is useful for temporizing complex fractures but caution that the complication rate is high. Since recent literature indicates that low-grade open distal radius fractures do not require emergent debridement and that immediate internal fixation is safe, complications might be avoided by restricting this protocol to complex or physiologically unstable patients.

Background: Although the diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is often missed, outcomes from surgical intervention significantly improve patient satisfaction. This article seeks to highlight patient characteristics, intraoperative findings, and both short and long-term outcomes of thoracic outlet decompression in the adolescent population. Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients between the ages of 13 and 21 years with a clinical diagnosis of neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome (NTOS) who were treated surgically between 2000 and 2015 was performed. Data points including preoperative patient characteristics and intraoperative findings were collected. In addition, patient-reported outcome scores, including Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) questionnaire, Cervical Brachial Symptom Questionnaire (CBSQ), and NTOS index, were obtained for a cohort of patients with follow-up ranging from 2 to 15 years. Results: The study population consisted of 54 patients involving 61 extremities. The most common procedures included neurolysis of the supraclavicular brachial plexus (60, 98.4%), anterior scalenectomy (59, 96.7%), and middle scalenectomy (54, 88.5%). First rib resection (FRR) was performed in 28 patients (45.9%). Long-term outcomes were collected for 24 (44%) of 54 patients with an average follow-up of 69.5 months (range, 24-180 months). The average VAS improved from 7.5 preoperatively to 1.8 postoperatively. The average SANE increased from 28.9 preoperatively to 85.4 postoperatively. The average postoperative scores were 11.4 for the QuickDASH, 27.4 for the CBSQ, and 17.2 for the NTOS index. Subgroup analysis of patients having FRR (28, 45.9%) demonstrated no difference in clinical outcome measures compared with patients who did not have FRR. Conclusion: Surgical treatment of NTOS in adolescent patients has favorable intermediate and long-term outcomes.