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The Galeazzi fracture affects the radius bone and always presents with a dislocated radial ulnar joint. Surgery is required for adults, while children may attempt closed reduction. Recovery time is about two months, and physical therapy may be needed. Complications are higher when surgical repair is not attempted in adults.
Galeazzi’s fracture might be better called a Cooper’s fracture since this is the doctor who first described this injury in the 19th century. However, the credit goes to Dr. Galeazzi, who discussed the presence of this type of fracture in the 1919s. This is a serious fracture affecting the radius bone (the lower arm bone on the thumb side) and always presenting with a dislocated radial ulnar joint (DRUJ), which is where the two bones of the lower arm meet at the wrist.
Among arm fractures, the Galeazzi fracture is not as common, and estimates suggest that only about three to seven percent of arm fractures involve this particular arrangement. There is also data clarifying that men are more likely to suffer this type of fracture than women. Depending on the circumstances, the fracture may be open and this dangerous scenario cannot wait for treatment. Unless presenting with other, more serious injuries, treatment of an open Galeazzi fracture should occur immediately.
There are several ways this fracture could be treated. In adults, regardless of whether the lesion is open or closed, surgery is always required to properly target the DRUJ and stabilize the radius bone. In some circumstances the fracture also occurs with breaks of the ulna or other bone of the forearm, which could be treated or stabilized even at the time of surgery. Surgery may mean placing pins in to achieve reduction (stability), and these are usually left in for about four weeks. Removing the pins doesn’t mean avoiding fusion or splinting, and after the pins are removed, people can usually expect to stay in a restrictive splint for at least another four weeks.
In children with a closed Galeazzi fracture, closed reduction is most likely to be attempted, without any form of surgery. Avoiding this in adults is usually impossible, as it will likely cause permanent damage to the DRUJ and restrict movement in the future. Children have bones that heal faster and more predictably and can escape surgery much of the time. Doctors, of course, would recommend it, if the fracture looks particularly bad.
Recovery time from a Galeazzi fracture is about two months, and physical therapy may be needed after the splint to regain motion in the joint. Some of these fractures take even longer to heal or don’t heal well. This may depend on age, the extent of the injury and the success of the surgery. About 40% of these fracture repairs have some level of complication, but complications are higher when surgical repair is not attempted in adults.
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