Morphological study of dorsal Barton's fracture based on three-dimensional CT imaging

Abstract Background Dorsal Barton's fracture is a distinct type of distal radius fracture. The treatment of dorsal Barton's fracture is contentious and may lead to severe complications like traumatic arthritis and fracture malunion. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of clinical studies on dorsal Barton's fractures. This study aims to use three-dimensional (3D) CT scans to more intuitively and clearly depict the characteristics and patterns of dorsal Barton fractures. The objective is to deepen the understanding of such fractures, providing reference significance for clinical treatment. Methods The patients with dorsal Barton's fracture who met the inclusion criteria in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. 3D models of dorsal Barton's fracture were established by high-quality CT scanning, and the relevant data of different sections were measured to obtain the fracture characteristics of dorsal Barton's fracture. Results This study included 122 patients, comprising 39 males and 83 females. The average age for males was 55.21 years (range: 19–87 years), and for females, it was 63.88 years (range: 42–89 years). Among the 39 cases of dorsal Barton's fractures, 27 were single dorsal fractures, including 22 cases of dorsal ulnar Barton's fractures, 3 cases of dorsal radial Barton's fractures, and 2 cases of dorsal horizontal Barton's fractures. Twelve cases presented with 2 dorsal fractures, but none had 3 dorsal fractures. Among the 83 cases of female dorsal Barton's fractures, 59 were single dorsal fractures, including 55 cases of dorsal ulnar Barton's fractures, 3 cases of dorsal radial Barton's fractures, and 1 case of dorsal horizontal Barton's fracture. Twenty-two cases had 2 dorsal fractures, and 2 cases had 3 dorsal fractures. Conclusions Dorsal Barton fractures exhibit variability in fracture line and number, showing morphological distinctions. The 3D fracture line map of dorsal Barton's fracture, derived from CT 3D reconstruction, not only reveals relevant characteristics but also aids in basic research and the determination of an appropriate surgical plan based on fracture line distribution.