Radiology: Fracture types

Question 1

What is an open fracture?

Answer 1

communicates with the outside environment as indicated by air at the fracture site, or bone protruding out of skin

Question 2

What is a closed fracture?

Answer 2

implies a fracture that remains inside the skin and musculature

Question 3

What are the different fracture locations?

Answer 3

Epiphysis
Metaphysis
Diaphysis
Articular
Non-articular

Question 4

What is the difference between articular and non- articular fracture locations?

Answer 4

Articular fractures extend to the joint surface while non-articular does not extend to joint surface

Question 5

What is an incomplete fracture?

Answer 5

only involves one cortex

Question 6

What is a Fatigue or stress fracture?

Answer 6

incomplete fracture
occurs from cyclic loading resulting in local strain on bone tissue

Question 7

What is a complete fracture?

Answer 7

Complete loss of bony continuity allowing overriding & deformation

Question 8

How do we classify complete fractures?

Answer 8

distal fragment relative to the proximal fragment

Question 9

What is a transverse fracture?

Answer 9

transverse 90 degrees to the long axis of the bone

Question 10

What are oblique fractures?

Answer 10

at an angle to the long axis
long oblique 90-45 degrees
short oblique < 45 degrees

Question 11

What are spiral fractures?

Answer 11

fracture line that spirals along the long axis of the bone

Question 12

What are comminuted fractures?

Answer 12

at least 3 fracture fragments in a single bone

Question 13

What are fissure fractures?

Answer 13

one or more cracks penetrate the cortex, often in a longitudinal or spiral direction

often seen associated with comminuted fractures

Question 14

What are segmental fractures?

Answer 14

at least three or more fragments in a single bone & the fracture lines do not interconnect

Question 15

What are compression fractures?

Answer 15

impaction fracture in which cancellous bone collapses & compresses upon itself

Question 16

What are avulsion fractures?

Answer 16

fractures at soft tissue attachment sites

Question 17

What are chip fractures?

Answer 17

fracture fragment usually at the corner of an articular margin

Question 18

What are slab fractures?

Answer 18

an articular fracture that extends from one articular margin to another

Question 19

What are pathological fractures?

Answer 19

occurs b/c of underlying disease
bone is weakened & break under conditions that would not break a normal bone

Question 20

What is the big take away with increasing the salter classification?

Answer 20

As you increase the number of salter classification you increase the potential of altered growth of the physis

Question 21

What is a Salter-Harris type 1?

Answer 21

fractures are through the physis

Question 22

What is a Salter-Harris type 2?

Answer 22

fracture line is through the physis & metaphysis

Question 23

What is a Salter-Harris type 3?

Answer 23

Fracture line is through the physis & epiphysis
usually articular fractures

Question 24

What is a Salter-Harris type 4?

Answer 24

fracture line is through the epiphysis, physis & metaphysis

Question 25

What is a Salter-Harris type 5?

Answer 25

Crushing or compression fractures of the physis

distal ulnar physis is the most common place