A Barton's fracture is a type of wrist injury where there is a

broken bone A bone fracture (abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #) is a medical condition in which there is a partial or complete break in the continuity of any bone in the body. In more severe cases, the bone may be broken into several fragments, known as a '' ...

associated with a dislocated bone in the wrist, typically occurring after falling on top of a bent wrist. It is an intra-articular

fracture Fracture is the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a displa ...

of the

distal radius The radius or radial bone is one of the two large bones of the forearm, the other being the ulna. It extends from the lateral side of the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist and runs parallel to the ulna. The ulna is usually slightly longer than ...

with dislocation of the

radiocarpal joint In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as (1) the carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand; "The wrist contains eight bones, roughly aligned in two rows, known as the carpal ...

. There exist two types of Barton's fracture – dorsalDorsal Barton's Fracture / Dorsal Shearing Frx – Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics
/ref> and palmar, the latter being more common. The Barton's fracture is caused by a fall on an extended and

pronated Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relativ ...

wrist increasing carpal compression force on the dorsal rim. Intra-articular component distinguishes this fracture from a Smith's or a Colles' fracture. Treatment of this fracture is usually done by open reduction and internal fixation with a plate and screws, but occasionally the fracture can be treated conservatively.

Eponym

It is named after

John Rhea Barton John Rhea Barton (April 1794 – January 1, 1871) was an American orthopedic surgeon remembered for describing Barton's fracture. Early life Barton was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in April 1794. He was the son of Elizabeth ( née Rhea) ...

(1794–1871), an American surgeon who first described this in 1838.J. R. Barton. Views and treatment of an important injury of the wrist. Medical Examiner, Philadelphia, 1838, 1: 365–368.

Additional images

$Radiograph of Barton's fracture$

References

External links

* Bone fractures {{injury-stub