Pauwels classification
Trauma and orthopaedics
Also known as: Pauwels-Klassifikation (Schenkelhalsfraktur) · Pauwels sınıflaması · Pauwels classification (femoral neck fractures)
What it is for
Biomechanical classification of femoral neck fractures by the steepness of the fracture line of the distal fragment on the anteroposterior view; the steeper the line, the more shear and the less compression act across it.
Classification
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Pauwels I | fracture-line angle below 30°: compressive forces dominate. |
| Pauwels II | 30° to 50°: shear forces appear. |
| Pauwels III | above 50°: shear forces dominate, with a varus tendency. |
| Measurement | Classically the angle between the fracture line and the horizontal; the modified Pauwels angle uses a line perpendicular to the femoral shaft axis instead. Pauwels himself gave no numbers; the often quoted 70° limit for type III is a later misreading. |
Source
Der Schenkelhalsbruch, ein mechanisches Problem
Monograph, Ferdinand Enke, Stuttgart 1935 (Pauwels F)
- Edition
- Pauwels 1935 (biomechanical; cut-offs 30° and 50° as used today)
- Checked on
Summary of the published classification in our own words. Not a substitute for the original publication.
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