Weber B Distal Fibular Fracture Diagnosed by Point-of-care Ultrasound

We report the case of a 45-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department (ED) after an acute ankle inversion injury. After history and physical exam suggested a potential fracture, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) demonstrated a cortical defect of the distal fibula, consistent with fractu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: James Makinen, Jessica Koehler, Sam Tirgari, David Amponsah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: eScholarship Publishing, University of California 2017-01-01
Series:Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine
Online Access:https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8zw6q3v6
Description
Summary:We report the case of a 45-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department (ED) after an acute ankle inversion injury. After history and physical exam suggested a potential fracture, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) demonstrated a cortical defect of the distal fibula, consistent with fracture. Plain radiography failed to demonstrate a fracture. Later, the fracture was identified as a Weber B distal fibular fracture by stress-view radiography. This case reviews the evaluation of acute ankle injuries in the ED and the utility of POCUS as a supplemental imaging modality in the evaluation of ankle fracture.
ISSN:2474-252X