Open AccessFracture of biphalangeal fifth toe: A diagnostic pitfall in the emergency department
Author(s) -
Adil Turan,
Özkan Köse,
Ferhat Güler,
Selahattin Özyürek
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of emergency medicine, trauma and acute care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.27
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 1999-7094
pISSN - 1999-7086
DOI - 10.5339/jemtac.2016.11
Subject(s) - emergency department , phalanx , context (archaeology) , medicine , foot (prosody) , radiography , surgery , geology , paleontology , linguistics , philosophy , psychiatry
Biphalangeal toe is a normal anatomic variant where distal and middle phalanges fuse to each other. In the context of trauma, biphalangeal toes may pose a diagnostic challenge and fractures may be interpreted as normal which can lead to misdiagnosis and under treatment. Here, we present a rare case of fracture through a biphalangeal fifth toe with delayed diagnosis. This variation should be kept in mind during the evaluation of a patient with foot trauma and assessment of foot radiographs, particularly in the emergency department where the majority of initial cases are presented.