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Stress fracture of the pelvis and lower limbs including atypical femoral fractures—a review

Stress fractures, that is fatigue and insufficiency fractures, of the pelvis and lower limb come in many guises. Most doctors are familiar with typical sacral, tibial or metatarsal stress fractures. However, even common and typical presentations can pose diagnostic difficulties especially early afte...

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Autores principales: Tins, Bernhard J., Garton, Mark, Cassar-Pullicino, Victor N., Tyrrell, Prudencia N. M., Lalam, Radhesh, Singh, Jaspreet
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2014
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4330230/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25448537
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13244-014-0371-z
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author Tins, Bernhard J.
Garton, Mark
Cassar-Pullicino, Victor N.
Tyrrell, Prudencia N. M.
Lalam, Radhesh
Singh, Jaspreet
author_facet Tins, Bernhard J.
Garton, Mark
Cassar-Pullicino, Victor N.
Tyrrell, Prudencia N. M.
Lalam, Radhesh
Singh, Jaspreet
author_sort Tins, Bernhard J.
collection PubMed
description Stress fractures, that is fatigue and insufficiency fractures, of the pelvis and lower limb come in many guises. Most doctors are familiar with typical sacral, tibial or metatarsal stress fractures. However, even common and typical presentations can pose diagnostic difficulties especially early after the onset of clinical symptoms. This article reviews the aetiology and pathophysiology of stress fractures and their reflection in the imaging appearances. The role of varying imaging modalities is laid out and typical findings are demonstrated. Emphasis is given to sometimes less well-appreciated fractures, which might be missed and can have devastating consequences for longer term patient outcomes. In particular, atypical femoral shaft fractures and their relationship to bisphosphonates are discussed. Migrating bone marrow oedema syndrome, transient osteoporosis and spontaneous osteonecrosis are reviewed as manifestations of stress fractures. Radiotherapy-related stress fractures are examined in more detail. An overview of typical sites of stress fractures in the pelvis and lower limbs and their particular clinical relevance concludes this review. Teaching Points • Stress fractures indicate bone fatigue or insufficiency or a combination of these. • Radiographic visibility of stress fractures is delayed by 2 to 3 weeks. • MRI is the most sensitive and specific modality for stress fractures. • Stress fractures are often multiple; the underlying cause should be evaluated. • Infratrochanteric lateral femoral fractures suggest an atypical femoral fracture (AFF); endocrinologist referral is advisable.
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spelling pubmed-43302302015-02-19 Stress fracture of the pelvis and lower limbs including atypical femoral fractures—a review Tins, Bernhard J. Garton, Mark Cassar-Pullicino, Victor N. Tyrrell, Prudencia N. M. Lalam, Radhesh Singh, Jaspreet Insights Imaging Review Stress fractures, that is fatigue and insufficiency fractures, of the pelvis and lower limb come in many guises. Most doctors are familiar with typical sacral, tibial or metatarsal stress fractures. However, even common and typical presentations can pose diagnostic difficulties especially early after the onset of clinical symptoms. This article reviews the aetiology and pathophysiology of stress fractures and their reflection in the imaging appearances. The role of varying imaging modalities is laid out and typical findings are demonstrated. Emphasis is given to sometimes less well-appreciated fractures, which might be missed and can have devastating consequences for longer term patient outcomes. In particular, atypical femoral shaft fractures and their relationship to bisphosphonates are discussed. Migrating bone marrow oedema syndrome, transient osteoporosis and spontaneous osteonecrosis are reviewed as manifestations of stress fractures. Radiotherapy-related stress fractures are examined in more detail. An overview of typical sites of stress fractures in the pelvis and lower limbs and their particular clinical relevance concludes this review. Teaching Points • Stress fractures indicate bone fatigue or insufficiency or a combination of these. • Radiographic visibility of stress fractures is delayed by 2 to 3 weeks. • MRI is the most sensitive and specific modality for stress fractures. • Stress fractures are often multiple; the underlying cause should be evaluated. • Infratrochanteric lateral femoral fractures suggest an atypical femoral fracture (AFF); endocrinologist referral is advisable. Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2014-12-02 /pmc/articles/PMC4330230/ /pubmed/25448537 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13244-014-0371-z Text en © The Author(s) 2014 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.
spellingShingle Review
Tins, Bernhard J.
Garton, Mark
Cassar-Pullicino, Victor N.
Tyrrell, Prudencia N. M.
Lalam, Radhesh
Singh, Jaspreet
Stress fracture of the pelvis and lower limbs including atypical femoral fractures—a review
title Stress fracture of the pelvis and lower limbs including atypical femoral fractures—a review
title_full Stress fracture of the pelvis and lower limbs including atypical femoral fractures—a review
title_fullStr Stress fracture of the pelvis and lower limbs including atypical femoral fractures—a review
title_full_unstemmed Stress fracture of the pelvis and lower limbs including atypical femoral fractures—a review
title_short Stress fracture of the pelvis and lower limbs including atypical femoral fractures—a review
title_sort stress fracture of the pelvis and lower limbs including atypical femoral fractures—a review
topic Review
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4330230/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25448537
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13244-014-0371-z
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