Abstract
Vertebral fractures are relatively rare in children, and their clinical and imaging features are determined by the degree of skeletal maturity. Trauma is the main cause of vertebral fractures across all age groups, but other etiologies such as infections and neoplasms have to be included in the differential diagnosis when they occur in children. There are specific patterns of injuries that change with spinal maturity. Fractures of ossified structures are rare below 8 years of age, and as the spine matures, the types of fractures become similar to those seen in adults. Special attention must be paid not to mistake normal synchondroses and other vertebral development variants as fractures. Epiphyseal involvement may later impair growth and cause spine deformities. Radiographs, CT, and MRI play a role in the evaluation of pediatric vertebral fractures.
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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
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Diogo, M.C., Conceição, C.R. (2016). Pediatric Vertebral Fractures. In: Hoffmann Nunes, R., Abello, A., Castillo, M. (eds) Critical Findings in Neuroradiology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27987-9_54
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27987-9_54
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