Sharpen Your Fracture Care Vocabulary
Published on Mon Aug 23, 2004
Make sure you know these terms when the chart comes in
If you're not sure what part of the bone the physician's documentation describes, it could affect your choice of CPT and ICD-9 codes. Refresh your memory with these bone definitions.
Apophyseal: Refers to a projection or prominence on a bone.
Articular: The joint.
Condylar: Near the rounded projection of the bone.
Cortical: The outer layer of the bone.
Distal: The end of the bone farther from the body's center. For instance, the distal end of the femur is the end by the knee.
Extracapsular: Outside the joint capsule.
Midshaft: In the middle - rather than near the end - of the bone.
Periarticular: Situated around the joint area.
Proximal: Opposite of distal - the end of the bone closest to the body's center. For the femur, the proximal end is part of the hip joint.
Tuft: Distal phalanges (the tips of the fingers).
