[Epidemiological survey of wrist fractures in children].

Purpose Of The Study: The incidence of wrist fractures is increasing in children. We undertook an epidemiological survey in western France to determine characteristic features.

Material And Methods: A prospective multicentric study was conducted over one year in five university hospital centers in western France. The survey included 839 wrist fractures in children aged 6 to 16 years. The following criteria were recorded: age and gender, date and energy of the trauma, side and description of the fracture. Displacement was measured on the AP and lateral radiographs.

Results: The boys were older than the girls at the time of the wrist fractures, generally during the summer season (May to October). The left wrist was involved in 55% of the fractures; 83% were metaphyseal fractures. Fractures with epiphyseal detachment were more frequent in adolescents and occurred after high-energy trauma. Metaphyseal fractures were more common in girls than in boys. Displacement was greater in older children, particularly in case of epiphyseal detachment.

Discussion: We did not observe the male predominance often reported in our country. The girls probably practice sports as much as boys.