General Aspects of Fractures in Children

Rob A. C. Bilo, Arjo A. J. Loeve, Simon G. F. Robben, Rick R. van Rijn

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

A fracture is a partial or complete disruption of the continuity of bone or cartilage, due to mechanical forces exceeding the strength of the bone or cartilage to withstand these forces.Fractures are common in children. In a large Swedish study, the overall annual incidence of fractures in children was 2.1% (2.6 for boys; 1.7 for girls). Most fractures in children are the result of accidental trauma and conventional radiography (x-rays) is by far the preferred modality to diagnose them. This chapter discusses the anatomy of the bones, types of fractures and the terminology to describe fractures in an unequivocal way. In addition, fractures are discussed in the context of the trauma mechanism, the circumstances under which a fracture occurs and the age of the patient. Any discrepancies between the type of fracture and the alleged trauma mechanism (history as provided by the parents) should arise suspicion of non-accidental injury, where in general the younger the child, the greater the probability of inflicted injuries.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationForensic Aspects of Paediatric Fractures
Subtitle of host publicationDifferentiating Accidental Trauma from Child Abuse, Second Edition
PublisherSpringer International Publishing
Pages23-43
Number of pages21
ISBN (Electronic)9783031120411
ISBN (Print)9783031120404
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2023

Publication series

NameForensic Aspects of Paediatric Fractures: Differentiating Accidental Trauma from Child Abuse, Second Edition

Keywords

  • Cause and manner of fractures
  • Differential diagnosis
  • Epidemiology
  • Fracture
  • Fracture mimics

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