General Aspects of Fractures in Children

Book chapter (2023)

Authors

Rob A.C. Bilo Veilig Thuis Rotterdam Rijnmond
A.J. Loeve Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technology - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering
Simon G.F. Robben Maastricht UMC
Rick R. van Rijn Nederlands Forensisch Instituut (NFI), Universiteit van Amsterdam
Research Group
Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technology (Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering) (TU Delft)
Copyright: © 2023 Rob A.C. Bilo, A.J. Loeve, Simon G.F. Robben, Rick R. Van Rijn
DOI
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https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12041-1_2
Fracture Epidemiology Differential diagnosis Cause and manner of fractures Fracture mimics
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Published Date

2023

Language

English

Reuse Rights

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Faculty

Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

Department

Biomechanical Engineering

Research Group

Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technology

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.