The terms wedge and complex are used only for diaphyseal or metaphyseal fractures. The spiral or bending wedge may be intact or fragmented. The complex fractures are spiral, segmented or irregular. The term comminuted is imprecise and should not be used. They include apophyseal and metaphyseal fractures.
Articular fractures involve the articular surface.
They are subdivided into partial and complete. A fracture, resulting from a shearing force, in which the direction of the split is usually longitudinal. An articular fracture in which there is pure depression of the articular surface without a split. The depression may be central or peripheral. A combination of a split and a depression, in which the joint fragments are usually separated.