Performance of a decision rule for radiographs of pediatric knee injuries.

Although decision rules for radiographs of pediatric knee injuries have been suggested from retrospective studies, prospective evaluations of such rules have been limited. We sought to prospectively assess the performance of a rule in children presenting with acute knee injuries. Eligible participants were children aged 3-18 years with an acute knee injury.

Evaluation of the Ottawa ankle rules in children.

Objective: The Ottawa Ankle Rules (OAR) are criteria for predicting ankle fractures in adults allowing for insignificant fractures, defined as small avulsion fractures. Because the clinical significance of avulsion fractures and Salter-Harris type I fractures in children is unclear, we sought to prospectively evaluate the use of the OAR in children and to determine whether different criteria should be used for predicting ankle fractures in children.

Methods: In this prospective study, patients younger than 18 years presenting to a pediatric emergency department (ED) with an acute nonpenetrating ankle injury were eligible for study participation.