Dislocation (medicine)

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Under dislocation ( latin dislocatio ) is in the medicine especially in traumatology (, Traumatology ), the displacement or change in position of organs or parts of organs from its anatomically correct position understood. The most common is the term used to describe broken bones ( fractures ) and joint dislocations ( dislocations ). But it also describes the acquired misalignment of internal organs or implants , probes and catheters inserted into the body .

Forms of dislocation

Dislocations can be subdivided according to the nature of their origin into "primary" ones that occurred immediately after an accident and into "secondary" ones that occurred later in the healing process after the fracture was initially correct or corrected by a doctor. The latter is usually a complication of treatment and is also known as secondary correction loss.

According to the type of displacement of the fragments, a distinction is made:

  • the axis kink (lat. dislocatio ad axim ): The fragments are at an angle to one another in the longitudinal axis of the bone.
  • the lateral offset (lat. dislocatio ad latus ): The longitudinal axes of the fragments are parallel, but with a lateral offset to one another in the fracture area.
  • the length misalignment (lat. dislocatio ad longitudinem ): the bone is shortened ( cum contractione or cum abbreviatione ) or elongated ( cum distractione ) .
  • twisting (lat. dislocatio ad peripheriam ): The fragments are twisted in opposite directions around the longitudinal axis.

All forms can also be combined with one another.

consequences

The consequences of an inadequately treated dislocation range from purely cosmetically disturbing misalignments of the broken bone to functional disorders of the affected limb of any extent to the failure of the fracture to heal ( pseudarthrosis ).

treatment

Treatment consists of the establishment ( repositioning ) of the fragments and their fixation ( retention ) in the correct position.

Other uses of the term

A dislocation of internal organs can occur, for example, as a result of a burial accident or a crushing of the abdomen and chest in a traffic accident . An example is the displacement of the spleen into the left chest cavity when the diaphragm is ruptured .

Probes of cardiac pacemakers , implantable defibrillators and similar devices can dislocate for various reasons, that is to say they can leave their desired position, as a result of which the device generally loses its function. The same applies to implanted stents , for example in the biliary tract or peripheral arteries .

Secondary misalignments of catheters, such as urinary catheters or venous catheters , are also referred to as dislocations.

The dislocation of breast implants can be painful on the one hand, but it can also ruin the aesthetic outcome of the operation.

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  • GH Engelhard: Accident medicine. A guide for clinic and practice. 3. Edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1998, ISBN 3-110-15096-4 .