Podcast 506: Seymour Fracture

Emergency Medical Minute

Contributor: Don Stader, MD

Educational Pearls:

• Seymour fracture is an eponym for a Salter-Harris I/II fracture of the distal phalanx of the finger or toe in children, associated with a nailbed inury
• These may present and subtle as a subungal hematoma with a fracture on x-ray but carry a significant risk of complications
• While in adults a hammer-finger deformity indicates an avulsion injury of the extensor tendon, in children it can indicate disruption of the growth plate. This is coupled with disruption of the proximal nail bed.
• Because these fractures affect the growth plate, they can lead to arrest of the growth plate or chronic osteomyelitis
• These injuries require orthopedic consultation for possible debridement and fixation

Summarized by Will Dewispelaere, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD