Widened paediatric symphysis pubis: nontraumatic and with no associated abnormalities

Children involved in high-energy blunt trauma undergo pelvic radiographs as part of their Advanced Trauma Life Support assessment to exclude injury. One radiological indicator of a pelvic injury is widening of the symphysis pubis. There are normal variations in the size of the symphysis pubis throughout childhood. However, as clinicians, we should be aware of the normal variation in size of the symphysis pubis and that trauma is not the sole cause of an 'abnormally' widened symphysis pubis. This report describes an idiopathic widened symphysis pubis unrelated to any other congenital pathology and highlights the normal variation of the symphysis pubis and the need for clinical vigilance.