General Aspects of Fractures in Children
Rob A. Bilo (Veilig Thuis Rotterdam Rijnmond)
A.J. J. Loeve (TU Delft - Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technology)
Simon G.F. Robben (Maastricht University Medical Center)
Rick R. Van Rijn (Universiteit van Amsterdam, Nederlands Forensisch Instituut (NFI))
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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.