radiology Flashcards
name some fracture appearances
- lucency crossing bone
- cortical extension
- spiral/transverse
- comminution
- joint involvement
- angulation
- displacement
- impaction
what is an acute avulsion fracture
when a small chunk of bone attached to a tendon or ligament gets pulled away from the main part of the bone
where does bony alignment need to be assessed in the upper limb
- acromioclavicular
- glenohumeral
- elbow
- lateral wrist
what is seen on x-ray if an elbow effusion is present
a displaced fat pad posterior to the distal humerus
what is the growth plate
a lucency between the epiphysis and metaphysis that may stimulate a fracture
what does comminuted mean
when the bone is broken into three or more pieces
what do intra-capsular fractures do
- interfere with blood supply to femoral head
- prone to femoral head AVN
- treated by hemiarthroplasty
what do extra-capsular fractures do
- don’t affect blood supply to femoral head
- don’t get femoral head AVN
- treated by internal fixation using DHS
what is the patient at risk of with femoral shaft fractures
blood loss and fat embolus
what is a significant knee soft tissue injury usually accompanied by
an effusion which fills the suprapatellar space
what is lipohaemarthrosis
fat floating on blood in the suprapatellar recess
-sign of intra-articular fracture
