Fractures with Names

In general, an eponym can be considered the proper name of the first person or persons describing an anatomical structure, a classification system, a disease, a fracture, a surgical technique, an instrument, and so on. It is believed that the use of eponyms tends to cause confusion and should be avoided. A clear example of this is the Colles fracture, a name applied to many types of fractures of the distal radius that do not adhere to the initial definition formulated by Abraham Colles at the beginning of the 19th century. In addition, it should be remembered that many of these descriptions were coined before the discovery of x-rays.

Another problem with the use of eponyms is that the names may not be universally accepted. For instance, French physicians might not know what a Colles fracture is because they call it a Pouteau fracture.

This impression is well expressed in the study performed by Kishore and colleagues with a group of physicians including orthopedic surgeons and residents. Only 12% of the participants were able to correctly relate the fractures they were shown with their eponyms, 63% recognized that they did not use these designations in their daily clinical practice, and 80% suggested that they should never be used. However, because many eponyms are still used, it has been considered practical to include a list of those most frequently used in this book.

Some fractures are not identified by an eponym but instead are recognized by certain characteristics that may be related to the mechanism by which they are produced (hangman's fracture), by the profession in which they once most frequently occurred (gamekeeper's thumb), or by their morphology (greenstick fracture).

In general it is recommended to use anatomic references and radiologic terminology, but one should also be familiar with the proper names and colloquial terms used by orthopedic surgeons in their daily practice to designate the various types of fractures.

A summary of fractures with eponyms is presented in alphabetical order. This summary is the result of an extensive search of the literature. There are up to 400 eponyms in musculoskeletal pathology, and more than 50 of them correspond to fractures. Extremely unusual eponyms and those that have fallen into disuse have been discarded.

A large percentage of eponyms refer to fractures of the hand, wrist, and ankle because these occur most often. Fractures of the hand and wrist present typical characteristics, and the eponyms used to name them are among the ones most commonly used. However, this is not true for eponyms of ankle fractures. These are more confusing, it is difficult to differentiate among them, and they are used less frequently.