Imaging Traumatic Wrist and Hand Injuries in Children

The pediatric wrist and hand are anatomically and functionally complex regions that undergo continuous changes throughout growth and maturation. This review opens with a discussion of normal skeletal development, emphasizing typical patterns of ossification and growth plate maturation in the distal forearm, carpus, and phalanges. Physeal anatomy is explained, followed by a review of acute physeal injuries (such as Salter-Harris fractures), and common nonphyseal fractures including buckle, incomplete, and complete fractures. Finally, repetitive stress injuries affecting the distal radius of gymnasts and fingers of climbers are reviewed, highlighting key radiologic findings and their clinical implications.