Pauwel's angle
Classification of femoral fracture
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pauwel's angle is the angle between the line of a fracture of the neck of the femur and the horizontal as seen on an anterio-posterior radiograph.[1] Pauwel's angle is named after the German orthopedist Friedrich Pauwels.[2] Introduced in 1935, this system was the first biomechanical classification for femoral neck fractures, and is still in use.[3]
Clinical Use
An increasing angle leads to a more unstable fracture and an increase in the shear stress at the fracture site. This shear leads to higher rates of nonunion.
Pauwel's Classification
| Type | Angle |
|---|---|
| I | <30° |
| II | >30°/<50° |
| III | >50° [4] |
