Lower Extremities
11 Tibia/Fibula
Anatomy
Medial malleolus, Lateral malleolus, Tibia, Fibula, Femoral condyles, Patella, Proximal tibiofibular joint, Distal tibiofibular joint, Femorotibular joint, Tibial plateaus, Lateral tibial condyle, Medial tibial condyle, Tibial tuberosity, Intercondylar eminence
Projections
[Part], PA or AP
CR Location
[Part], PA or AP –
Evaluation Criteria
[Part], PA or AP –
.
Hows & Whys of Lower Leg Radiography
- Which joints must be included on all lower leg images?
- The ankle and the knee.
- If the Tibia is fractured near the ankle, where is the Fibula most likely to fracture?
- Near the knee.
- How can you tell that the knee is not rotated on a lateral lower leg projection?
- The femoral condyles are superimposed forward and backward.
- Why would the femoral condyles possible not be superimposed medial to lateral?
- The divergence of the x-ray beam projects them separately.
- Which portion of the tibia is fractured when a patient has Osgood-Schlatter disease?
- In Osgood-Schlatter disease, the tibial tuberosity separates from the proximal tibia. This is seen most often in boys age 13-15, and seems to be related to the repeated flexion of the knee in activities like bicycling.