Etiology, pathogenesis and classifications of knee fractures.

Fractures of the knee include fractures of the lower end of the femur, upper end of tibia, and patella. The term articular fractures has been avoided in this text because it would exclude supracondylar fractures of the femur, fractures of the tibial spines, and epiphyseal separations in which the articular surfaces remain uninjured. By agreement with the other rapporteurs to this Congress, we excluded from our review separation of the apophysis of the tibial tubercle, fractures of the tibial spines, and osteochondral lesions.