Cuboid fractures in preschool children

The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical and radiographic presentation of cuboid fractures in children and to produce a guide for appropriate evaluation and treatment.Twenty-eight consecutive patients with cuboid fracture treated at the same institution between 1998 and 2004 were retrospectively analyzed. The mean age at presentation was 38.7 months (range, 14-74 months). All patients presented with an avoidance gait pattern, refusing to bear weight on the lateral side of the foot. There was no history of trauma in 8 patients, and the others had minor trauma such as a fall down a few steps on their feet or ankle sprain. Plain radiographs were the method of diagnosis in all but one of the patients. The feet of 21 patients were immobilized at initial presentation. The other 7 patients were observed clinically until symptoms resolved. All fractures healed completely with no complications, and patients were symptom free in 4.9 weeks (range, 2-13 weeks). Twenty-one patients, immobilized immediately after the first presentation, were symptom free in 4 weeks (range, 2-7 weeks). The remaining 7 patients, who were observed and followed up clinically with no immobilization, were symptom free in 7.9 weeks (range, 5-13 weeks). Six patients had associated ipsilateral fractures, and 8 patients had an associated genetic or systemic abnormality. An awareness of cuboid fractures in children can lead to an early diagnosis, treatment, and recovery without the use of a bone scan, and a focus on the possibility of an underlying genetic or medical disorder must be initiated.