Distal tibial fracture - Salter-Harris type III

Case contributed by Christof Igler
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Ankle injury in basketball match.

Patient Data

Age: 13 years
Gender: Female

Salter-Harris type III fracture: Horizontal fracture through the medial growth plate with a vertical fracture through the medial aspect of the epiphysis.

Case Discussion

Intra-articular fractures during childhood are injuries with potential complications. Transitional fractures show a different fracture pattern comparing to fractures with wide open physis (Salter and Harris I-IV). Conventional x-rays are the first radiographic modality. Patients seem to benefit from additional cross-sectional imaging, which includes CT or MRI, to evaluate if an anatomic reconstruction of the articular surface is necessary.

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