Review on Salter-Harris Fractures!
Type I: “Slipped
- Separation through physis
- X-rays often normal (may have lateral displacement of epiphysis)
- Diagnosis clinical (point tenderness over growth plate)
- Usually can be managed w/ closed reduction techniques
- Doesn’t require perfect alignment + tends to remodel w/ growth
Type II: “Above”
- Fracture through portion of physis, but extending through metaphysis
- Usually can be managed w/ closed reduction techniques
- Doesn’t require perfect alignment + tends to remodel w/ growth
Type III: “Lower”
- Fracture through portion of physis extending through epiphysis + into the joint
- Requires anatomic alignment to prevent any stepoff + to realign growth cells of physis
Type IV: “Together/Through”
- Fracture across metaphysis, physis, epiphysis
- Prognosis may be poor
- Requires anatomic alignment to prevent any stepoff + to realign growth cells of physis
Type V: “Ruined”
- Crush injury to physis (no physeal fracture/displacement)
- Can cause growth arrest + poor prognosis due to disruption of germinal matrix, hypertrophic regions + vascular supply
- Causes include frostbite, electric shock, irradiation
- Very difficult to differentiate from Type I
- Usually not diagnosed initially (presents w/ growth disturbance)
2 comments
Thanks for the lesson on Salter-Harris fxs! I actually need to have a good understanding of medical terms and conditions with the work I do, so I appreciate your weekly primers.
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Yay! So glad to hear that! There’s definitely a wholeeeee ton more coming up! :]!