Schatzker type V - tibial plateau fracture

Case contributed by Pir Abdul Ahad Aziz Qureshi
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Fell off the bike.

Patient Data

Age: 45 years
Gender: Male

Comminuted fracture of the lateral tibial plateau with a depressed fracture fragment. The fracture also extends medially to involve the tibial eminences. Split fractures of the medial tibial plateau are also seen.

Case Discussion

The tibial plateau fractures are commonly classified by the Schatzker classification system.

This system divides tibial plateau fractures into 6 types:

  • Schatzker I: wedge-shaped pure cleavage fracture of the lateral tibial plateau, originally defined as having < 4 mm of depression or displacement
  • Schatzker II: type I fracture with a depressed component (generally considered commonest)
  • Schatzker III: pure depression of the lateral tibial plateau; divided into two subtypes:
    • Schatzker IIIa: with lateral depression
    • Schatzker IIIb: with 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 (metaphyseal-diaphyseal discontinuity)

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