Fracture-Dislocations You Can't Afford to Miss.

Abstract

Occult dislocations can accompany extremity fractures and may lead to serious complications if undetected and untreated. Physicians, therefore, need to watch for uncommon trauma like distal radius fractures with radioulnar joint disruption (Galeazzi fractures), proximal ulna fractures with radial head dislocation (Monteggia fractures), and midfoot dislocations with or without fracture (Lisfranc injuries). Injury recognition involves comparing important historical features like a fall onto an outstretched hand, physical exam findings such as the nature of the pain, and sometimes-subtle radiographic clues. Treatment is usually surgical.