[Imaging fractures: more than just delineating fracture lines]

Skeletal trauma accounts for a high percentage of cases in daily clinical practice, especially in emergency departments. It is important not to limit radiology reports to the fracture. Radiologists must be familiar with the principles of bone trauma and elaborate concise reports that describe the complete extent of each lesion.This article aims to describe some of the patterns with which fractures present on plain-film radiographs, taking into account bone displacement, types of associated fractures, associations of fractures with luxations, soft-tissue lesions, and indirect signs. Likewise, we emphasize the need to perform computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging studies in certain cases.