ABOS Orthopaedic Surgery case studies
ABOS Orthopaedic Surgery · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) certifies orthopaedic surgeons through a two-part examination process. Part I is the written examination taken by candidates completing orthopaedic residency training; Part II is the oral, case-list-based examination taken later in practice. The ABOS Orthopaedic Surgery case studies are 5 cases and about 2,466 words.
1The 78-Year-Old with a Displaced Femoral Neck Fracture and a New Anticoagulant
A 78-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department after a mechanical fall at home. She has a displaced femoral neck fracture (Garden III).
558 words, about 3 min2The 42-Year-Old Cyclist with a Tibial Plateau Fracture and a Threatened Soft-Tissue Envelope
A 42-year-old recreational cyclist sustains a Schatzker VI bicondylar tibial plateau fracture after a high-speed crash. He arrives with a tense, swollen knee, multiple fracture blisters, and a compartment pressure of 28 mmHg in the anterior compartment (diastolic pressure 60 mmHg).
517 words, about 3 min3The 58-Year-Old with Lumbar Stenosis, Diabetes, and a Request for 'the Minimally Invasive Option'
A 58-year-old man with a 2-year history of neurogenic claudication (walks 2 blocks, relieved by sitting) has MRI showing L4-L5 central stenosis with ligamentum flavum hypertrophy and facet arthropathy, without spondylolisthesis. He has type 2 diabetes (HbA1c 9.1%), is on insulin, and has peripheral neuropathy documented on EMG.
452 words, about 2 min4The 24-Year-Old Pitcher with Medial Elbow Pain and a Partial UCL Tear
A 24-year-old professional baseball pitcher presents with 6 weeks of medial elbow pain that worsens with throwing and a loss of velocity. MRI shows a partial (high-grade, ~50%) tear of the ulnar collateral ligament at its humeral attachment, without full-thickness disruption.
470 words, about 2 min5The 68-Year-Old with an Infected Total Knee and Multiple Comorbidities
A 68-year-old woman presents 14 months after a primary total knee arthroplasty with 3 weeks of increasing knee pain, swelling, and a sinus tract draining serous fluid. She has rheumatoid arthritis on methotrexate and low-dose prednisone, type 2 diabetes (HbA1c 8.4%), and chronic kidney disease (eGFR 35).
469 words, about 2 min