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Carpal fractures in children

Nicholas Goddard1

  • 1Royal Free Hospital, London, England. NJGoddardFRCS@AOL.com

Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research
|March 2, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric carpal injuries, though uncommon, can be missed. Early diagnosis and appropriate management of wrist fractures in children, particularly scaphoid and capitate injuries, lead to favorable healing outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Orthopedics
  • Musculoskeletal Radiology

Background:

  • Carpal injuries in children are infrequent and may be overlooked or underestimated.
  • Scaphoid and capitate fractures are the most common carpal bone injuries in pediatric patients.
  • Other carpal bone fractures are rare, with limited case reports available.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review common carpal injuries in children.
  • To outline treatment strategies for pediatric carpal injuries.
  • To highlight the importance of vigilance in diagnosing wrist injuries in children, even with normal initial radiographs.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of pediatric carpal injuries.
  • Synthesis of common injury patterns and their management.
  • Emphasis on clinical suspicion for diagnosis.

Main Results:

  • Scaphoid fractures are the most frequent carpal injury in children.
  • Capitate fractures are the second most common, often associated with other carpal injuries.
  • Most pediatric carpal fractures heal well with appropriate treatment.

Conclusions:

  • A high index of suspicion is crucial for diagnosing carpal injuries in children.
  • Prompt and accurate diagnosis facilitates effective treatment and good outcomes.
  • This review provides a guide for managing common pediatric carpal fractures.

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