Dorsal displacement is the classic direction of instability in distal radius fractures, and certain patterns — dorsal Barton fracture-dislocations and dorsally comminuted articular fractures among them — are approached and buttressed from the dorsal side. A plate on the dorsal surface resists the very direction in which the fragment wants to travel, acting as a buttress against re-displacement.
The T-shaped head exists because the dorsal articular block is wide: a transverse row of locking screws supports it from edge to edge rather than at a single point. Because the extensor tendons run directly over the dorsal cortex, plate height and contour matter clinically, and the plate is shaped to sit flat against the bone. Approach, reduction and implant choice remain the responsibility of the operating surgeon.
