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Simplifying the complicated heel—an emergency imaging approach to calcaneal fractures

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Abstract

The calcaneum is the most inferior and largest tarsal bone and supports the axial load of the weight of the body. Calcaneal fractures formulate 60% of the tarsal fractures and are frequently encountered in almost all trauma centres. It becomes imperative to understand and report calcaneal fractures in a structured fashion for better clinical and treatment outcomes for the patients. Radiologists should be well acquainted with calcaneal fractures and their various classifications and should develop an algorithmic approach for diagnosing and reporting heel fractures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 342005, India

    Suvinay Saxena, Taruna Yadav, Pushpinder Singh Khera & Satya Jha

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  1. Suvinay Saxena
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  2. Taruna Yadav
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  3. Pushpinder Singh Khera
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  4. Satya Jha
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Correspondence to Taruna Yadav.

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Teaching points

• To discuss the normal anatomy of calcaneum and biomechanics of calcaneal injury

• To discuss the role of multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scan for the evaluation of calcaneal fractures

• To develop a simplified holistic approach for classification into Sanders classification and to illustrate various complications of calcaneal fractures

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Saxena, S., Yadav, T., Khera, P.S. et al. Simplifying the complicated heel—an emergency imaging approach to calcaneal fractures. Emerg Radiol 28, 641–649 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-020-01883-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10140-020-01883-1

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