The Clinical Study On The Effects Of Low Intensity Ultrasound For Enhancement Of Distal Radius Fracture Healing

Objective: To test the clinical efficacy and safety of low intensity ultrasound in accelerating distal radius fracture-healing, in order to develop a novel, non-invasion fracture-treatment apparatus more suitable for Chinese patients.Methods: 64 patients with distal radius fracture (AO Muller type A1, A2) were strictly enrolled in the trial and were randomly divided into two group. 30 patients in the Ultrasound Group were received a 200-μsec burst of 1-MHz sine waves, repeated at 1 kHz with an average intensity of 30 mW/cm2 for twenty minutes daily , starting on the first postoperative day, until they were healed, while 34 patients in the control group accepted no ultrasound treatment after all patients were treated by manipulated reduction and immobilized by a below elbow cast by the same orthopaedic group , X-ray film of preoperation and postoperation every week were made to evaluate the effect of fracture healing, The relative indexes of preoperative\ postoperative \ clinical healing \ osteogenesis healing situation were observed and analyzed statistically.Results: As assessed radiographically, patients treated with ultrasound healed more rapidly : the clinical healed time which is 30.20±5.346 days shows significantly statistically difference compared with the controls' 39.625±8.8089 days (p<0. 01); the osteogenesis healed time 62.1000±9.7554 days , shows statistically difference compared with the controls' 78.5313±14.253 days (p<0.01) ;Wrist functional recovery after fracture healed ("Dienst classification") of the ultrasound group is better than that of the controls' (X2 =12. 896, p<0.01); the ultrasound makes neither influence on the anatomic stabilization of reduced fracture, nor obvious side effects and accident during the apparatus running. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that low-intensity ultrasound can efficiently accelerate the fracture-healing process, promote wrist functional recovery, low intensity ultrasound apparatus which we developed is a promising device for fracture treatment ?...