Injuries: age of fractures: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Forensic Medicine · Injuries: age of fractures

Sample item

A 3-year-old with suspected abuse has a rib fracture with a sharp fracture line and no periosteal reaction or callus on radiograph. What does this suggest about the age of the fracture?

AIt is about three months oldBIt is recent, within about the first one to two weeksCIt is a healed fracture more than a year oldDIt was caused after death

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

B. It is recent, within about the first one to two weeks

Periosteal new bone and soft callus generally become visible on radiographs after about 7 to 14 days, and callus is well established by about 3 weeks. A fracture with sharp margins and no healing response is therefore recent, which helps correlate injuries with the stated history. Post-mortem fractures also lack haemorrhage and reaction but the clinical picture here is of a living child.

Option by option

A. It is about three months old
A three-month-old fracture would show remodelled callus.
B. It is recent, within about the first one to two weeks (correct)
Correct. Absence of healing signs points to a fracture only days old.
C. It is a healed fracture more than a year old
A healed fracture would show remodelling and no sharp line.
D. It was caused after death
The child is alive; a post-mortem fracture does not apply.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is B, It is recent, within about the first one to two weeks. Periosteal new bone and soft callus generally become visible on radiographs after about 7 to 14 days, and callus is well established by about 3 weeks.

Why is "It is about three months old" not the answer?

A three-month-old fracture would show remodelled callus.

Why is "It is a healed fracture more than a year old" not the answer?

A healed fracture would show remodelling and no sharp line.

Why is "It was caused after death" not the answer?

The child is alive; a post-mortem fracture does not apply.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Injuries: age of fractures in Forensic Medicine. A fracture with sharp margins and no healing response is therefore recent, which helps correlate injuries with the stated history. Post-mortem fractures also lack haemorrhage and reaction but the clinical picture here is of a living child.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Injuries: age of fractures?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.