Toddler's fracture
| Toddler's fracture | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Childhood accidental spiral tibial (CAST) fractures |
 | |
| A toddler's fracture | |
| Specialty | Orthopedic |
Toddler's fractures are
trauma
, sometimes with a rotational component.
Pathophysiology
The proposed mechanism involves shear stress and lack of displacement due to the periosteum that is relatively strong compared to the elastic bone in young children.[2]
Diagnosis
Typical symptoms include
non-accidental injury typically affect the upper two-thirds or midshaft of the tibia.[citation needed
]
Other possible fractures in this area, occurring in the
radionuclide imaging can add information to anterior-posterior and lateral views.[5][6] However, since treatment can also be initiated in the absence of abnormalities, this appears to have little value in most cases. It could be useful in special cases such as children with fever, those without a clear trauma or those in which the diagnosis remains unclear.[3][7] Recently, ultrasound has been suggested as a helpful diagnostic tool.[8]
Treatment
Treatment consist of a long leg orthopedic cast for several weeks.[3]
History
The condition was initially recognised by Dunbar and co-workers in 1964.[9] A new terminology has been proposed, which defines toddler's fracture as a subset of childhood accidental spiral tibial (CAST) fractures.[1]