Article
Two Cases of Missed Salter-Harris III Coronal Plane Fracture of the Lateral Femoral Condyle
Am J Orthop. 2008 February;37(2):100-103
Author and Disclosure Information
Sanjeev Sabharwal, MD, Patrick Henry, MD, and Fred Behrens, MD†
Dr. Sabharwal is Associate Professor, and Dr. Henry is a Resident, Department of Orthopaedics, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey.
†Deceased. Dr. Behrens was the former Chairman, Department of Orthopaedics, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey.
Coronal plane fractures of the lateral femoral condyle can be difficult to diagnose, especially in children with open physis. Two adolescents who sustained this uncommon Salter-Harris III fracture of the knee were misdiagnosed after initial clinical examination and standard x-rays. Oblique x-rays, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging were valuable in arriving at the correct diagnosis and in decision making.