Abstract
Pediatric wrist injuries pose unique diagnostic challenges due to distinct bone characteristics
in children and their diverse injury patterns. The dynamic development of the wrist,
marked by changes in bone age and emerging ossification centers, is crucial to evaluate
growth and identify potential pathologies. The skeletal composition, rich in cartilage,
renders bones relatively weaker yet more elastic, impacting their susceptibility to
fracture. Forearm fractures display diverse patterns influenced by torsional forces.
Scaphoid fractures, less common in children, differ from those in adults. Conditions
like Madelung's deformity and ulnar variance are more common wrist disorders in the
pediatric population. In addition, the scarcity and nonspecificity of symptoms in
those with tendon injuries and triangular fibrocartilage complex lesions can be diagnostically
challenging. This article reviews pediatric wrist injuries, emphasizing ossification
patterns, common fracture types, and developmental variants. Grasping these complexities
in pediatric wrist development and associated pathologies is essential for precise
diagnosis and treatment.
Keywords
normal variants - forearm fractures - Madelung's deformity - triangular fibrocartilage
complex - ulnar variance
