UCLA Radiological Sciences Proceedings

Intertrochanteric fractures occur in the region between the greater and the lesser trochanters along the junction of the femoral neck and the shaft. Isolated greater trochanteric fractures seen on initial radiographs may be shown to have intertrochanteric extension on additional imaging modalities, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography, and bone scintigraphy. We report a case of intertrochanteric extension of greater trochanteric fracture in a 59-year-old man who presented with acute worsening of chronic left hip pain after a minor fall. Radiographs of the hips revealed a left greater trochanteric fracture with suspected intertrochanteric extension. Computed tomography of the left hip, one day later, showed a minimally displaced fracture of the left greater trochanter without intertrochanteric extension. The same-day MRI of the hip showed an acute nondisplaced intertrochanteric extension of a minimally displaced greater trochanteric fracture. While the greater trochanteric fracture was seen on all three imaging modalities, the intertrochanteric extension was distinctly visualized only on MRI.