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Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2024; 28(04): 408-423
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1779510
Review Article

Pediatric Wrist

Tatiane Cantarelli Rodrigues
1   Department of Radiology, Hospital do Coração (HCor), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
2   ALTA Diagnostic Center (DASA Group), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
,
Ivan Rodrigues Barros Godoy
1   Department of Radiology, Hospital do Coração (HCor), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
2   ALTA Diagnostic Center (DASA Group), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
3   Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
,
Aline Serfaty
4   Medscanlagos, Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Abstract

Pediatric wrist injuries pose unique diagnostic challenges due to distinct bone characteristics in children and their diverse injury patterns. The dynamic development of the wrist, marked by changes in bone age and emerging ossification centers, is crucial to evaluate growth and identify potential pathologies. The skeletal composition, rich in cartilage, renders bones relatively weaker yet more elastic, impacting their susceptibility to fracture. Forearm fractures display diverse patterns influenced by torsional forces. Scaphoid fractures, less common in children, differ from those in adults. Conditions like Madelung's deformity and ulnar variance are more common wrist disorders in the pediatric population. In addition, the scarcity and nonspecificity of symptoms in those with tendon injuries and triangular fibrocartilage complex lesions can be diagnostically challenging. This article reviews pediatric wrist injuries, emphasizing ossification patterns, common fracture types, and developmental variants. Grasping these complexities in pediatric wrist development and associated pathologies is essential for precise diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords

normal variants - forearm fractures - Madelung's deformity - triangular fibrocartilage complex - ulnar variance


Publication History

Article published online:
29 July 2024

© 2024. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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