Chauffeur's fracture, also known as Hutchinson fracture, is a type of intraarticular

oblique fracture 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 ''c ...

of the

radial styloid process The radial styloid process is a projection of bone on the lateral surface of the distal radius bone. Structure The radial styloid process is found on the lateral surface of the distal radius bone. It extends obliquely downward into a strong ...

in the

forearm The forearm is the region of the upper limb between the elbow and the wrist. The term forearm is used in anatomy to distinguish it from the arm, a word which is used to describe the entire appendage of the upper limb, but which in anatomy, techn ...

. The injury is typically caused by compression of the

scaphoid The scaphoid bone is one of the carpal bones of the wrist. It is situated between the hand and forearm on the thumb side of the wrist (also called the lateral or radial side). It forms the radial border of the carpal tunnel. The scaphoid bone ...

bone of the hand against the styloid process of the

distal radius The radius or radial bone (: radii or radiuses) 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 longer ...

. It can be caused by falling onto an outstretched hand. Treatment is often

open reduction and internal fixation Internal fixation is an operation in orthopedics that involves the surgical implementation of implants for the purpose of repairing a bone, a concept that dates to the mid-nineteenth century and was made applicable for routine treatment in the ...

, which is surgical realignment of the bone fragments and fixation with pins, screws, or plates. __TOC__

History

Jonathan Hutchinson Sir Jonathan Hutchinson (23 July 1828 – 23 June 1913), was an English surgeon, ophthalmologist, dermatologist, venereologist, and pathologist, who notably advocated for circumcision. He founded Haslemere Educational Museum. Life Jonathan H ...

first described Chauffeur's fracture in 1866. The term "Chauffeur's fracture" originated from

Just Lucas-Championnière Just-Marie-Marcellin Lucas-Championnière (15 August 1843, in Avilly-Saint-Léonard – 22 October 1913, in Paris) was a French surgeon. From 1860 he studied medicine in Paris, receiving his medical doctorate in 1870 and his agrégation in 1 ...

in 1904. The name originates from early

chauffeur A chauffeur () is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or a limousine. Initially, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to s ...

s, who sustained these injuries when the

car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

back-fired while the chauffeur was hand-cranking to start the car. The back-fire forced the crank backward into the chauffeur's palm and produced the characteristic styloid fracture.

References

External links

{{Fractures Bone fractures