Abstract
Background: Distal radius fractures are arguably the most common orthopedic injuries encountered by the treating orthopedic surgeon. Correction of dorsal tilt and radial height is important to restore the normal biomechanics of the wrist joint. The aim of this study is to report the morphometry of the distal radius in a South Indian population and give a comparison to similar studies of other races and populations.
Methods: Three hundred and ten consecutive plain radiographs of the wrist joint were included in all the radiographs. Four radiological parameters were studied in all the radiographs namely radial height, radial inclination, ulnar variance and palmar tilt. Radiographs that were not centered on the wrist joint or rotated were excluded from the study. Only radiographs of the distal radius with fused physis were considered in this study.
Results: The mean value of the radial height was 0.88cm with a standard deviation of 0.26cm. The mean radial height for males was 0.92 ± 0.27cm and in females was 0.81± 0.23cm (p=0, which is significant). The mean radial inclination was 21.58 ± 3.35o. The palmar tilt averaged 11.36 ± 3.16o . The ulnar variance was neutral in 110 males (56.4%) and 66 females (57.4%).
Conclusion: The morphometry of the distal radius varies with race, ethnicity, and build of the patient. Thorough knowledge of the morphometry of the distal radius of the local population becomes critical for the treating surgeon. In this study, we attempt to publish our results of our study of the radiological parameters in the South Indian population.

Key words: Distal radius, radiological morphometry, radial tilt, ulnar variance, radial height