Chandigarh: New fracture named after PGIMER’s pioneering ortho surgeon

In a first, a fracture’s name has been attributed to an Indian orthopaedic surgeon Dr Sandeep Patel and co-author of a paper on the same--Dr Siddharth Sharma.

Their work has been published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery Case Connector. Dr Patel, an associate professor at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER’s) department of orthopaedics, described a novel fracture around the ankle, now named as the Patel-Sharma Fracture Fragment.

This fracture involves a fibular-sided avulsion of the Posterior Inferior Tibiofibular Ligament (PITFL), a unique injury pattern.

Dr Patel also introduced two novel classification systems that include Patel-Dhillon Classification – a new system for Chaput fractures (anterior malleolus fractures) in 2024. His second work includes FABER classification – a pioneering classification for trimalleolar fracture variants, improving understanding and treatment approaches.

Dr Patel’s work is expected to significantly impact the diagnosis and treatment of ankle fractures worldwide.