Nondisplaced fracture: Meaning in a Radiology Report

Nondisplaced fracture

Also written as: non-displaced fracture, undisplaced fracture, hairline fracture

A nondisplaced fracture is a break in a bone where the pieces have stayed in their normal position, still lined up.

Seen on: X-ray, CT, MRI

How it reads in a report

Nondisplaced fracture of the distal fibula at the level of the ankle joint, with the ankle mortise intact.

What it means

A fracture is any break or crack in a bone, from a hairline crack to a complete break. Displaced means the broken ends have shifted out of line. Nondisplaced means they have not: the bone has cracked but keeps its shape. These breaks can be thin and hard to see, so some only show on CT or MRI, or on a repeat X-ray a week or two later.

When it matters

Because the pieces are still in place, many nondisplaced fractures heal well with a cast, splint, boot or protected use, without surgery. A few sites need more care even when nothing has moved. Examples are the scaphoid bone in the wrist and the neck of the thigh bone at the hip, where blood supply is fragile. There, closer follow-up or surgery may be advised. Repeat X-rays check that the pieces stay in place.

Questions to ask your doctor

Is there any risk this fracture could shift while it heals?
How long does this bone usually take to heal?
When will I need repeat X-rays?

General information, not medical advice. What a finding means for you depends on your symptoms, your history and the images themselves, so talk your results through with a doctor.