Schatzker classification of tibial plateau fractures

Changed by Yaïr Glick, 21 May 2017

Updates to Article Attributes

Body was changed:

Show markup changes

Schatzker classification system is one method of classifying tibial plateau fractures ~~into six different categories~~.

Increase in ~~category~~type number denotes increasing severity, reflecting not only increased energy imparted to the bone at the time of injury but also an increasingly worse prognosis ¹. The most common fracture of the tibial plateau is type II.

Classification

This system divides tibial plateau fractures into six types:

Schatzker I: wedge-shaped pure cleavage fracture of the lateral tibial plateau, originally defined as having less than 4 mm of depression or displacement
Schatzker II: splitting and depression of the lateral tibial plateau; namely, type I fracture with a depressed component
Schatzker III: pure depression of the lateral tibial plateau ~~which divided~~; divided into two subtypes:
- Schatzker ~~IIIb~~IIIa: with ~~central~~lateral depression
- Schatzker ~~IIIa~~IIIb: with ~~lateral~~central depression
Schatzker IV: medial tibial plateau fracture with a split or depressed component
Schatzker V: wedge fracture of both lateral and medial tibial plateau
Schatzker VI: transverse tibial metadiaphyseal fracture, along with any type of tibial plateau fracture ~~(metaphysical~~(metaphyseal-diaphyseal discontinuity)

History and etymology

This classification was first published by Joseph Schatzker et al. in 1990 ⁴.

-Schatzker classification system is one method of classifying <a href="/articles/tibial-plateau-fracture">tibial plateau fractures</a> into six different categories.Increase in category number denotes increasing severity, reflecting not only increased energy imparted to the bone at the time of injury but also an increasingly worse prognosis 1. The most common fracture of the tibial plateau is type II.<h4>Classification</h4>This system divides tibial plateau fractures into six types:<ul>
+Schatzker classification system is one method of classifying <a href="/articles/tibial-plateau-fracture">tibial plateau fractures</a>.Increase in type number denotes increasing severity, reflecting not only increased energy imparted to the bone at the time of injury but also an increasingly worse prognosis 1. The most common fracture of the tibial plateau is type II.<h4>Classification</h4>This system divides tibial plateau fractures into six types:<ul>
~~-Schatzker III: pure depression of the lateral tibial plateau which divided into two subtypes:<ul>~~
~~-<li>~~
~~-Schatzker IIIb: with central depression</li>~~
+Schatzker III: pure depression of the lateral tibial plateau; divided into two subtypes:<ul>
+<li>
+Schatzker IIIb: with central depression</li>
~~-Schatzker VI: transverse tibial metadiaphyseal fracture, along with any type of tibial plateau fracture (metaphysical-diaphyseal discontinuity)</li>~~
+Schatzker VI: transverse tibial metadiaphyseal fracture, along with any type of tibial plateau fracture (metaphyseal-diaphyseal discontinuity)</li>

ADVERTISEMENT: Supporters see fewer/no ads

{"current_user":null,"inclusions":[{"imageId":56138181,"studyId":112392,"caseSlug":"schatzker-classification-of-tibial-plateau-fractures-illustrations","caption":"Figure 1 Schatzker classification illustrations ","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/56138181/Schatzker_Square_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":false,"diagnosticCertainty":"not_applicable"},{"imageId":52873690,"studyId":91514,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-schatzker-type-i-5","caption":"Case 1: type I","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/52873690/be48ff1181f0fd6c80bd227e889be2_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":false,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":56138175,"studyId":112392,"caseSlug":"schatzker-classification-of-tibial-plateau-fractures-illustrations","caption":"Figure 2: type I","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/56138175/1_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":false,"diagnosticCertainty":"not_applicable"},{"imageId":581144,"studyId":12383,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-schatzker-type-i-4","caption":"Case 2: type I","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/581144/e8fb80012d830e4d883348da750d5d_big_gallery.jpg","isStack":false,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":56138176,"studyId":112392,"caseSlug":"schatzker-classification-of-tibial-plateau-fractures-illustrations","caption":"Figure 3: type II","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/56138176/2_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":false,"diagnosticCertainty":"not_applicable"},{"imageId":24586,"studyId":7609,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-schaztker-type-ii-1","caption":"Case 3: type II","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/24586/e21daa3d437b71a5bf62941b1c5373_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":true,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":56138177,"studyId":112392,"caseSlug":"schatzker-classification-of-tibial-plateau-fractures-illustrations","caption":"Figure 4: type III","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/56138177/3_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":false,"diagnosticCertainty":"not_applicable"},{"imageId":45016725,"studyId":74227,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-schatzker-type-iiib","caption":"Case 4: type IIIb","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/45016725/a3bf40a33e41681c1f471f709c5180_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":true,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":56138178,"studyId":112392,"caseSlug":"schatzker-classification-of-tibial-plateau-fractures-illustrations","caption":"Figure 5: type IV","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/56138178/4_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":false,"diagnosticCertainty":"not_applicable"},{"imageId":24787234,"studyId":52334,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-schatzker-type-iv-1","caption":"Case 5: type IV","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/24787234/c52fe942ce25ce710079623e566602_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":true,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":56138180,"studyId":112392,"caseSlug":"schatzker-classification-of-tibial-plateau-fractures-illustrations","caption":"Figure 6: type V","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/56138180/5_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":false,"diagnosticCertainty":"not_applicable"},{"imageId":34058133,"studyId":63711,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-schatzker-type-v-2","caption":"Case 6: type V","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/34058133/e226f6fa98e6a52df0060ab3a44874_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":true,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":56138179,"studyId":112392,"caseSlug":"schatzker-classification-of-tibial-plateau-fractures-illustrations","caption":"Figure 7: type VI","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/56138179/6_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":false,"diagnosticCertainty":"not_applicable"},{"imageId":8605432,"studyId":32209,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-schatzker-type-vi-with-lipohaemarthrosis-1","caption":"Case 7: type VI","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/8605432/08c7954d8e82536f156621dfaa858d_big_gallery.jpg","isStack":true,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":30015958,"studyId":58830,"caseSlug":"diaphyseal-aclasis-and-tibial-plateau-fracture","caption":"Case 8: type II","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/30015958/fc2a29ca74280101275891bfddb698_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":true,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":581166,"studyId":12384,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-1","caption":"Case 9: type II","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/581166/1c8bf44ae3cac66a76deef56d93350_big_gallery.jpg","isStack":false,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":29773332,"studyId":58544,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-schaztker-type-ii-2","caption":"Case 10: type II","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/29773332/3c2d233e712582f15c019884815b64_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":true,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":28023052,"studyId":56478,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-schatzker-type-v-1","caption":"Case 11: type V","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/28023052/61612ef21c477edc8523fb9d3d7876_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":true,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":4930179,"studyId":25729,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-with-lipohaemarthrosis-schatzker-type-v-1","caption":"Case 12: type V","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/4930179/b52a6fb24da81b93d77b4923bf781e332beca725ce702a49a222c3fe8c604045_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":true,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":25304035,"studyId":53132,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-schatzker-type-v","caption":"Case 13: type V","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/25304035/bae5b175641d6b19fbbbbcacef592b_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":true,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":56289674,"studyId":113455,"caseSlug":"schatzker-type-v-tibial-plateau-fracture","caption":"Case 14: type V","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/56289674/20211105_222648_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":false,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":58473916,"studyId":120960,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-schatzker-type-iv-6","caption":"Case 15: type IV","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/58473916/0._big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":false,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"},{"imageId":63652977,"studyId":142217,"caseSlug":"tibial-plateau-fracture-schatzker-type-vi-9","caption":"Case 16: type VI","thumbnail":"https://prod-images-static.radiopaedia.org/images/63652977/5f24ced08a411ee11c72317b0f1abfae003377db66d5c87ced56fff6608ff99c_big_gallery.jpeg","isStack":true,"diagnosticCertainty":"confirmed_substantiated"}],"ddx_inclusions":[],"lang":"us"}

Updating… Please wait.

Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

Thank you for updating your details.

Schatzker classification of tibial plateau fractures

Updates to Article Attributes

Classification

History and etymology

See also

Articles

By Section:

By System:

Cases

Radiopaedia.org