Which Wiltse type corresponds to pathologic origin?

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The key idea is that Wiltse’s classification assigns a type based on how the pars interarticularis fracture originates. Pathologic origin means the bone is weakened by some underlying disease, so the fracture occurs because of that disease rather than from congenital issues or repetitive stress. In Wiltse’s system, this situation is captured by the fifth type. So, type five designates a pathologic origin, such as fractures arising in bone weakened by tumors, infection, osteoporosis, or other disease processes. The other types describe different origins—congenital/dysplastic, stress-related (fatigue) fractures, or elongation/nonunion patterns—so they don’t represent a pathologic origin.