The empty toe phenomenon: a type of closed degloving.
A 46-year-old man sustained a crush injury, including several phalangeal fractures and vascular disruption, when his left foot was run over by a forklift truck. Although the skin was not broken, the middle and distal phalanges of his second toe were displaced, appearing absent on radiography. This was a closed degloving injury, a rare form of trauma involving tissue separation without skin disruption. Closed degloving injuries, which can occur in conjunction with bone displacement in the toes, can produce a striking radiographic appearance, referred to in this report as the "empty toe."
Flaherty
J D
JD
State University of New York, Buffalo School of Medicine, USA.
Evans
D A
DA
Danahy
P R
PR
D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D018409:Foot Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000379:methods; D018460:Fractures, Comminuted / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D014033:Toe Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D014034:Toes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery