Fracture Terminology

Question 1

What term describes the point of when a cast can be removed and implies the fracture is stable?

Answer 1

Clinical Union

Question 2

What stage of fracture repair does clinical union fall into?

Answer 2

Remodeling Phase

Question 3

What term describes when the two bony ends of the fracture fail to heal together correctly (residual deformity)?

Answer 3

Malunion

Question 4

What term describes the failure of healing up to 6 months post fracture?

Answer 4

Delayed Union

Question 5

What term describes the failure of healing after 6 months post fracture?

Answer 5

Non-union

Question 6

What term describes a non-union fracture that heals with creation of a pseudojoint?

Answer 6

Pseudoarthrosis

Question 7

Your patient is 5 months post-injury, and the fracture has not yet healed. What term applies?

Answer 7

delayed union

Question 8

What type of fracture is characterized as going straight across the bone (perpendicular to long axis; 60-90*) and seen in high velocity injuries?

Answer 8

Transverse fracture

Question 9

What is the most common type of fracture?

Answer 9

Oblique fracture

Question 10

What type of fracture is characterized by the break along the shaft (30-60* to long axis) of tubular bones?

Answer 10

Oblique fracture

Question 11

What type of fracture is characterized by a break that is less than 30 degrees to the long axis of tubular bones?

Answer 11

spiral fracture

Question 12

Transverse fractures generally occur due to what force(s)?

Answer 12

sheer or tensile

Question 13

Oblique fractures generally occur due to what force(s)?

Answer 13

compressive

Question 14

Spiral fractures generally occur due to what force(s)?

Answer 14

torsion (rotational)

Question 15

What term describes the microfractures of trabeculae accompanied by internal bone hemorrhages and edema?

Answer 15

Bone bruise

Question 16

What is the only way to visualize a Bone Bruise?

Answer 16

MRI

Question 17

What type of fracture does not go all the way through the bone/cortex of the bone?

Answer 17

Incomplete fracture

Question 18

What type of fracture goes completely through the bone/cortex?

Answer 18

Complete fracture

Question 19

What term is used in children where there is bending and an incomplete break of a bone?

Answer 19

Greenstick fracture

Question 20

Greenstick fractures generally occur due to what force(s)?

Answer 20

sheer (angular)/bending

Question 21

Torus fractures generally occur due to what force(s)?

Answer 21

compressive

Question 22

What term is used for a broken bone with no open wound?

Answer 22

Closed fracture

Question 23

What term is used for a fracture in which the bone is broken and there is an open wound in the skin?

Answer 23

Open fractures

Question 24

What term is used for a fracture in which the bone is broken into two or more fragments that have separated from the bone?

Answer 24

Comminuted fracture

Question 25

A fracture with a butterfly fragment is also what type of fracture?

Answer 25

comminuted fracture

Question 26

What term is used for a fracture that has separated into two fragments?

Answer 26

Non-comminuted fracture

Question 27

What term is used for a fracture when the bone is pressed together (compressed) on itself and is commonly seen in the vertebrae?

Answer 27

Compression fracture

Question 28

What term is used for a compression fracture that occurs in the extremity?

Answer 28

Impaction fracture

Question 29

What is different about the appearance of compression and impaction fractures on x-ray?

Answer 29

In impaction Fx, fracture site appears white instead of dark = zone of condensation

Question 30

What term is used for a fracture involving the growth plate (physis)?

Answer 30

Salter-Harris Fracture (only in children)

Question 31

What term is used for a fracture caused by abnormal stress on normal bone?

Answer 31

fatigue fracture

Question 32

What term is used for a fracture caused by normal stress through diseased bone?

Answer 32

insufficiency fracture (a form of pathologic fracture)

Question 33

What term is used for a stress fracture that occurs at the 2nd or 3rd metatarsal?

Answer 33

March fracture

Question 34

What term is used for a slight break in the bone due to repetitive stress causing gradual formation of microfracture?

Answer 34

Stress fracture

Question 35

What term is used for a fracture that involves the bone fragment tearing away due to ligaments, tendons, or muscles?

Answer 35

Avulsion fracture

Question 36

What term is used for an avulsion fracture of a lower cervical segment spinous process?

Answer 36

Clay Shoveler’s Fracture

Question 37

What term is used for a fracture that cannot be detected by X-ray until several days after the injury?

Answer 37

Occult Fracture

Question 38

What is the most common bone to have an occult fracture?

Answer 38

Scaphoid

Question 39

In what situations or conditions would you expect to see an increase in Alkaline phosphatase in the blood?

Answer 39

• Fast/aggressive bone building pathologies (cancer)
• Pathologies that involve a large portion of the skeleton (multiple fractures)

Question 40

In what situation or conditions would you expect to see an increase in ESR in the blood?

Answer 40

Any type of inflammation

Question 41

What type of radiographic imaging is specific for areas of increased metabolic activity?

Answer 41

Bone scans
(sensitive, not specific)