This is a basic article for medical students and other non-radiologists
Assessment of fracture complications is key to accurate assessment of a fracture. It is vital to assess for these when describing a fracture.
Reference article
This is a summary article. There is no accompanying reference article.
Summary
When describing a fracture, it is important to keep an eye out for any of the complications that commonly occur at the time of injury. These are distinct from fracture displacement:
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compound fracture
- a fracture that has extended through the skin
- may be occult on an x-ray
- compound at scene may be reduced by x-ray
- look for gas bubbles and soft-tissue injury
- a fracture that has extended through the skin
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joint involvement
- does a fracture extend to the joint
- involvement of the joint makes prognosis worse
- increased risk of joint osteoarthritis
-
other fractures
- is there another injury
- paired structures, e.g. radius and ulnar
- ring structures, e.g. pelvis, mandible
- is there another injury
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