Principles of Fracture Management 1 Flashcards
What are the 3 best ways of achieving stability?
–Non-invasive
–Minimally-invasive, or
–Open techniques
What are the 9 ways of classifying a fracture?
- Which Bone e.g. Tibia +/- Fibula
- Position within bone e.g. Proximal third of Diaphysis
- Fracture Pattern e.g. long oblique
- Open / Closed e.g. is there an open wound?
- Extra features e.g. Articular / Fissure lines
- Over-riding e.g. Moderate over-riding
- Displacement of distal segment relative to proximal
- Degree of malalignment (only if minimally displaced)
- Soft tissue swelling
Which 2 orthogonal views do we take to evaluate a fracture?
Craniocaudal & mediolateral
Dorsopalmar & mediolateral
What is the issue here?
Tibial fracture
What are the different anatomical locations of a bone?
Epiphysis - articular
Physis = growth plate
Metaphysis – wider bone
Diaphysis – 80%
What is a simple fracture?
Only 1 fracture line i.e. bone split into 2 pieces
What are the 3 types of simple fracture?
- Transverse
- Olique
- Spiral
What is a transverse fracture?
- Fracture ≤ 30 degrees perpendicular to long axis of bone
- Inter-digitating i.e. fracture surface irregular with spikes and depressions on both ends of fractured bone that “interdigitate” with each other
Label this image showing the fracture types
Yellow – long axis of bone
Red – perpendicular to the long axis = transverse fracture or 30 degrees off
Green – oblique more than 30 degrees off the red line
Discuss this x ray
Transverse Fracture – interdigitating where bits of bones stick into each other. Straight across the bone
What type of fracture is this?
Transverse Interdigitating – average pattern is straight across. Interdigiting – more stable! Stable to rotation
What is an interdigiting fracture stable to?
Rotation
What is an oblique fracture?
Fracture line > 30 perpendicular to long axis of bone
What is a spiral fracture?
Curves/spirals around the bone
At what angle is this oblique fracture?
50-60 degrees
What angle is this fracture at?
40-50 degrees
What type of fracture is this?
Spiral fracture
Define spiral fracture
Long oblique fracture that curves / spirals around the bone
How do spiral fractures come about?
What could a spiral fracture mean?
May mean there is a underlying bone pathology
What is a comminuted fracture?
- More than one fracture line that connect
- May be multiple joining fractures
- End result = 3 or more pieces of bone
What is going on here?
Comminuted fracture – left 6 pieces of bone. Moderately to highly comminuted.
What usually caues a comminutted fracture?
High impact to smash the bones
What is this?
Comminuted – radius fracture with adjacent ulnar.
What is a segmental fracture?
A rare type of comminuted fracture.
- 2 or more fracture lines that do not connect
- Each bone is a complete piece of cortex
- Result = 3 or more intact pieces of bone
- Wedge / Butterfly
What is this fracture?
Segmental
What is this?
Avulsion fracture
What is an avulsion fracture? How does it normally happen?
- Apophyseal bone avulsed - insertion point of tendon or ligament
- Usually puppies kittens landing with leg extending, will pull off the tibial tuberosity. Typical in staffies. “Landing” injury from a short height
- Open growth plate = physis = weaker than bone
What type of fractures happen in the skeletally immature?
Physeal fracture
What is the classification for physeal fractures?
Salter Harris, types 1 to 5
What is type 1 of the salter harris physeal frature classification?
A complete physeal feacture with or without displacement
What is type 2 of the salter harris physeal frature classification?
A physeal fracture wthat extends through the metaphysis, producing a chip fracture of the metaphysis (which may be very small)
What is type 3 of the salter harris physeal frature classification?
A physeal fracture that extends through the epiphysis
What is type 4 of the salter harris physeal frature classification?
A physeal fracture plus epiphyseal and metaphyseal fractures
What is type 5 of the salter harris physeal frature classification?
A compression fracture of the growth plate
What are the 5 primary physiologic forces acting on a normal bone?
Axial compression
Bending
Shear
Torsion
Tension
Label these primary physiological forces acting on the bone
- Axial compression
- Bending
- Shear
- Torsion
- Tension
Define axial compression
Main force of weight bearing
Define bending (the force not bending over you sarcastic bitches)
Compresive force eccentrically loading of bone
Define shear
Sideways bone displacement
Define torsion
Axial rotation/twisting
Define tension
Only apples at point of insertion of ligaments (apophysis) NOT DIAPHYSEAL BONE
What do external forces produce on bone/fractures?
Internal stresses/strains
Label the coloured arrows as forces.
Red - shear
Yellow - torsion (axial rotation)
Green - bending
Blue - compression
Black - avulsion
What is tension avulsion?
EXTERNAL FORCE
Occurs when ligaments or tendons apply a distractive force, eg the patella tendon on the tibial tuberosity
Give 2 locations of tension avulson (3)
- Gluteal muscles, greater trochanter
- Patella tendon on the tibial tuberosity Triceps, olecranon of ulna
- Common calcaneal tendon, calcaneous
A) What is axial compression?
B) Where is it good?
C) What does an oblique force produce?
A) Produces a compressive force
B) If fracture is transverse or fragment ends interdigitate
C) On an oblique fracture produces a shear force –> over-riding and collapse of fracture e.g. if oblique or comminuted
Is the compression of a transverse fracture stable?
Yes
What does compression occur in oblique/sprial fracture?
Fracture ends shear over each other
What are the two sides to the bbone when axial compression creates a bending force within bone?
Compression and tension sides