What is a pathologic bone fracture?
Pathologic fractures occur through areas of weakened bone attributed to either primary malignant lesions, benign lesions, metastasis, or underlying metabolic abnormalities, with the common factor being altered skeletal biomechanics secondary to pathologic bone.
What is the most common pathological fracture?
The femoral neck and head are the most common locations for pathologic fracture because of the propensity for metastases to involve proximal bones and because of the stress of weight placed on this part of the femur.
What diseases cause pathological fractures?
Only a small number of conditions are commonly responsible for pathological fractures, including osteoporosis, osteomalacia, Paget’s disease, Osteitis, osteogenesis imperfecta, benign bone tumours and cysts, secondary malignant bone tumours and primary malignant bone tumours.
What is the difference between pathological and traumatic fractures?
Examples of traumatic fractures include fractures resulting from a fall, blunt injury or a motor vehicle accident1. There are several types of traumatic fractures, which include transverse, oblique, spiral, angulated and displaced fractures. A pathological fracture results from a break of a diseased or weakened bone.
What is a pathologic fracture and what are the dilemmas with coding these?
A pathological or fragility fracture is defined as a fracture sustained due to trauma no more severe than a fall from standing height, with the break occurring under circumstances that would not cause a fracture in a normal, healthy bone.
What is osteoporotic fracture?
Osteoporotic fractures (fragility fractures, low-trauma fractures) are those occurring from a fall from a standing height or less, without major trauma such as a motor vehicle accident.
What is the difference between a pathological fracture and a stress fracture?
Abstract. Whereas stress fractures occur in normal or metabolically weakened bones, pathologic fractures occur at the site of a bone tumor.
Where is a pathological fracture?
A pathologic fracture is a break in a bone that is caused by an underlying disease. At the Spine Hospital at the Neurological Institute of New York, we specialize in pathologic fractures of vertebrae, or bones of the spine. For the most part, bones need a reason to break–for example, a significant trauma.
Is an osteoporotic fracture a type of pathologic fracture?
A vertebral fracture may occur spontaneously and thus be more easily identified as occurring due to a disease (e.g. osteoporosis) and, therefore, coded as a pathologic fracture (ICD9 733.13).
What is impending pathological fracture?
Pathologic fractures (complete or impending) are skeletal-related events (SREs) that can occur in patients with bone metastases from advanced cancer. Other SREs include pain, hypercalcemia, and spinal cord compression. A pathologic fracture is defined as a fracture that develops through an area of bone pathology.
What are bio phosphonates?
What are bisphosphonates? Bisphosphonates are a group of drugs that work by slowing bone loss. They reduce the risk of hip and spine fractures. Bone renewal is a slow process, but in many people an increase in bone density can be measured over five years of treatment.
What is the difference between osteoporotic and osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis means “porous bone.” Viewed under a microscope, healthy bone looks like a honeycomb. When osteoporosis occurs, the holes and spaces in the honeycomb are much larger than in healthy bone. Osteoporotic bones have lost density or mass and contain abnormal tissue structure.
What is the pathology of a stress fracture?
A stress fracture represents the inability of the skeleton to withstand repetitive bouts of mechanical loading, which results in structural fatigue and resultant signs and symptoms of localized pain and tenderness. To prevent stress fractures, an appreciation of their risk factors is required.
What is a pathological cause?
If something is caused by a physical or mental disease, it is pathological.
When should you suspect a pathologic fracture?
Pathologic vertebral fractures may or may not cause symptoms. If pathologic fractures cause symptoms, these may include: pain in back, legs, and arms. neurological impairment–such as numbness and/or weakness in the arms or legs (if the fracture has affected the spinal cord and/or nerves in the spine)
What is metastatic bone disease?
Overview. Bone metastasis occurs when cancer cells spread from their original site to a bone. Nearly all types of cancer can spread (metastasize) to the bones. But some types of cancer are particularly likely to spread to bone, including breast cancer and prostate cancer.