Introduction: Distal radial fracture is one of the most common injuries to the musculoskeletal system, which are managed both conservatively & surgically. There are pitfalls, advantages & disadvantages in each method. This study was conducted in orthopaedic department of our medical college from September 2016- November 2018 to compare the results of conservative versus operative treatment of intraarticular distal end radius fractures.

Material and methods: Total of 80 patients, (53 males & 27 female) of 20-80 yrs of age were treated conservatively or surgically depending upon the displacement and comminution. Those with minimum comminution and displacements (40 patients) were managed conservatively and others with more displacements and comminution (40 number) were treated surgically using either pinning, plating or external fixation.

Results: Most commonly the mode of injury, wrist involvement & fracture type were RTA (45%), Right side (51.25%) & Frykman’s III (41.7%) respectively. Excellent results were seen in 47.5% in surgical group & 30% in conservative group.

Conclusion: We conclude that surgical management is better than conservative in the treatment of comminuted & displaced intra articular fractures of distal end of radius. However, we cannot generalize one treatment method for all fracture patterns & it should be individualized to a particular fracture.