General Overview The dictum “Children are not small adults” is especially true regarding skeletal trauma. Fracture patterns, fracture healing, and fracture complications differ between children and adults. Fortunately, fracture complications are relatively uncommon. In healthy children, the process of fracture…
Normal Bone Marrow Overview Bone marrow is one of the largest and most dynamic tissues in the body. Its functions include the production of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets for tissue oxygenation, cellular immunity, and blood coagulation,…
Several endocrine glands have significant effects on skeletal growth, maturation, and modeling, and understanding these effects facilitates correct radiographic interpretation. Renal osteodystrophy is also included in this chapter because of the importance of hyperparathyroidism (HPTH) in its pathophysiology, as are…
Skeletal ossification and mineralization are influenced by many metabolic factors, with sometimes arbitrary distinctions between metabolic bone disorders, endocrine bone disorders, and inherited skeletal dysplasias. Accurate diagnosis is essential because many of these disorders require specific therapy for both their…
Soft Tissue Tumors Overview In general, clinical presentation and findings guide diagnostic imaging in the assessment of soft tissue neoplasms. In children with subtle masses, the primary objective of imaging is to confirm or exclude the presence of a mass.…
Overview of Musculoskeletal Infections Musculoskeletal infections remain a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Historically, the workup and treatment of such infections has been based on clinical grounds supplemented by diagnostic aspiration and subsequent surgical incision and drainage. Today, imaging plays a…
Rheumatologic conditions in children are myriad in presentation, with overlapping imaging features that may sometimes superficially mimic infection. Rheumatologic conditions in children do not follow the typical course and presentation compared with their counterparts in adults. As a consequence, the…
Etiology Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), formerly referred to as congenital dislocation of the hip , was first described thousands of years ago. DDH is a spectrum that may vary from a normal congruent hip with normal appearing acetabula…
Scoliosis is defined as a lateral spinal curvature greater than 10 degrees, as measured by the Cobb method. Curves less than 10 degrees are termed spinal asymmetry . The lateral curvature is often accompanied by abnormalities in the axial and…
Overview Malalignment of extremity bones may be congenital or acquired. Primary bone or secondary soft tissue or neuromuscular disorders can result in abnormal alignment. Malalignment is often seen with congenital deformities characterized by embryologic failure of development, discussed in Chapter…