External fixator management of unstable colles' fractures: an alternative method.

Eighty-seven comminuted Colles' fractures of the Frykman III-VIII variety have been treated with the Medium-C-Hoffmann® external fixator, as an alternative to pins in plaster management, over a three-year period, with an average length of followup of 19 months. A standard technique had been used. The results were assessed on the basis of subjective, objective, and roentgenographic findings. The overall goal of a painless wrist with excellent motion, good strength, and satisfactory cosmesis appears to have been achieved by this method of management.