Lauge-Hansen Classification (Ankle Fracture)
Lauge-Hansen classification of a rotational ankle fracture, by the mechanism of injury (foot position + deforming force) - the mechanistic companion to the anatomic Danis-Weber classification.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Lauge-Hansen mechanism
- SER - supination-external-rotation (most common)
Result: Lauge-Hansen supination-external-rotation (SER, the most common): 1) AITFL injury; 2) spiral oblique fibula fracture at the plafond (Weber B); 3) posterior malleolus fracture or PITFL injury; 4) medial malleolus fracture or deltoid rupture.
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What the result means
- SA
- Supination-adduction: lateral avulsion below the plafond, then a vertical medial malleolus fracture.
- SER
- Supination-external-rotation (most common): AITFL, spiral fibula at the plafond (Weber B), posterior malleolus, medial malleolus.
- PAB
- Pronation-abduction: medial injury, syndesmosis, then a transverse fibula fracture above the plafond (Weber C).
- PER
- Pronation-external-rotation: medial injury, AITFL, high spiral fibula (Weber C; Maisonneuve), posterior malleolus.
- PD
- Pronation-dorsiflexion: axial-load pilon-type pattern (medial malleolus, anterior tibia, fibula, posterior plafond).
What you enter
- Lauge-Hansen mechanism
How this is calculated
Lauge-Hansen N. Fractures of the ankle. II. Combined experimental-surgical and experimental-roentgenologic investigations. Arch Surg. 1950;60(5):957-985. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.