{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,25]],"date-time":"2026-03-25T14:41:47Z","timestamp":1774449707845,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"AVES YAYINCILIK A.\u015e.","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["AOTT"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objective: This study aimed to compare the clinical and functional outcomes of Kirschner wire (K-wire) fixation versus volar locking plate (VLP) fixation for intra-articular distal radius fractures (DRFs). It also aimed to identify key patient- and fracture-related factors that influence the choice of surgical technique and to evaluate the responsiveness of specific patient-reported outcome measures in assessing recovery.\u00a0\r\nMethods: A total of 201 consecutive patients with Arbeitsgemeinschaft f\u00fcr Osteosynthesefragen\/Orthopaedic Trauma Association\u2013classified DRFs (Type A: n = 51; B: n = 90; C: n = 60) treated surgically between 2005 and 2022 were analyzed. Treatment allocation was based on fracture complexity and surgeon preference, resulting in a distribution where K-wire (n = 63) was primarily used for partial articular fractures (72.4% of K-wire cases were Type B), while VLP (n = 138) was preferred for complete articular fractures (83.6% of plate cases were Type C). Functional outcomes were assessed using Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) (primary endpoint), Green-O\u2019Brien, Gartland\u2013Werley, and SF-12 at standardized intervals (6\/12\/24 months) during supervised physiotherapy.\u00a0\r\nResults: Significant predictors of plate fixation included older age (58.1 \u00b1 14.7 vs. 42.3 \u00b1 12.1 years, P &lt; .001), polytrauma (aOR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.5-3.8), and complete articular fractures (83.6% Type C, P = .01). No statistically significant associations were found between injury type and fixation method (P = .20) or between complications and fixation method (4.8% vs. 2.2%, P = .41). Functional outcomes were comparable across all metrics, with no statistically significant differences observed: QuickDASH (34.9 \u00b1 18.2 K-wire vs. 31.2 \u00b1 16.8 plate, P = .146), Green-O\u2019Brien (excellent-good: 76.2% vs. 82.6%, P = .552), Gartland\u2013Werley (78.1% vs. 71.1% excellent-good, P = .591), and 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) (100% vs. 99.3% good results, P = .32). Multivariable regression identified reduction quality (\u03b2 = 0.81, P &lt; .01), not implant type, as the primary outcome determinant.\u00a0\r\nConclusion: This study suggests that anatomical reduction quality\u2014not fixation method\u2014is the primary determinant of functional success in DRFs, with both K-wire and VLP achieving comparable outcomes (QuickDASH\/Gartland\u2013Werley P &gt; .05). K-wires represent a cost-effective alternative for partial articular fractures (72.4% of cases), while plates were more frequently used in complex fractures and polytrauma cases (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.4). Early rehabilitation (median 4 days post-op) and condition-specific metrics (QuickDASH, Green-O\u2019Brien) are critical for optimal recovery, whereas SF-12 proves less sensitive for wrist-specific assessment. These findings advocate for surgeon-tailored technique selection based on fracture pattern and emphasize the need for multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate long-term outcomes.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\nCite this article as: Yigit O, Kart H, Cat G, et al. Comparison of Kirschner wire versus volar locking plate fixation for distal radius fractures: clinical and functional outcomes. Acta Orthop Traumatol Turc. 2026; 60(2), 0585, doi: 10.5152\/j.aott.2026.25585.\u00a0<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.5152\/j.aott.2026.25585","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,25]],"date-time":"2026-03-25T13:39:56Z","timestamp":1774445996000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Comparison of Kirschner wire versus volar locking plate fixation for distal radius fractures: clinical and functional outcomes"],"prefix":"10.5152","volume":"60","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9708-5351","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Okan","family":"Yi\u011fit","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7758-3377","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hayati","family":"Kart","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7803-3350","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"G\u00f6rkem","family":"\u00c7at","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3966-4184","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emrah G\u00f6kay","family":"\u00d6zg\u00fcr","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4893-3988","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Erdem","family":"Ko\u00e7","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-5588-2628","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Veysel Burak","family":"\u00d6zmusul","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5150-8857","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u00d6zg\u00fcr","family":"Baysal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"3111","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,12]]},"container-title":["Acta Orthopaedica et Traumatologica Turcica"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.aott.org.tr\/index.php\/pub\/article\/download\/4116\/4068","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.aott.org.tr\/index.php\/pub\/article\/download\/4116\/4068","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,25]],"date-time":"2026-03-25T13:39:57Z","timestamp":1774445997000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.aott.org.tr\/index.php\/pub\/article\/view\/4116"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,12]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5152\/j.aott.2026.25585","relation":{},"ISSN":["2589-1294","1017-995X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2589-1294","type":"electronic"},{"value":"1017-995X","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,12]]}}}