Fracture location (summary)

This is a basic article for medical students and other non-radiologists

Determining fracture location is important when describing a fracture and determining plans for management.

Reference article

This is a summary article. For more information, you can read a more in-depth reference articles: bone macroscopic structure.

Summary

When describing a fracture, location is not just about what bone is involved, but also about what part of the bone is involved - different parts of the bone are at risk of different complications.

• what bone
  • name the bone
  • determine the side
    • there should be a side-marker on the film (L:R)
• what part of the bone
  • epiphysis
    • between the growth plate and the joint surface
    • most clearly seen when the growth plate is open (children)
    • long bones may have one or two epiphyses
      • femur has two
      • phalanges have one
    • some bones have no epiphyses
      • carpal, tarsal, pelvic and skull bones
  • metaphysis
    • between the growth plate and shaft of the bone
      • the section of the bone that widens
  • diaphysis
    • the shaft of the bone​