Pathological fracture

A pathological fracture is one that occurs in abnormal bone, as a result of a normally insignificant stress.

Possible causes include:

• metastatic tumours:
  • breast, lung, thyroid, kidney, prostate
    
    
• generalised bone disease:
  • osteogenesis imperfecta, postmenopausal osteoporosis, metabolic bone disease, myelomatosis, polyostic fibrous dysplasia, Paget's disease
    
    
• local benign conditions:
  • chronic infection, solitary bone cyst, fibrous cortical defect, chondromyxoid fibroma, aneurysmal bone cyst, chondroma, monostotic fibrous dysplasia
    
    
• primary malignant tumours:
  • chondrosarcoma, osteosarcoma, Ewing's tumour