Osteochondroses: a clinical review for the pediatrician.

The purpose of this article is to provide the pediatrician with a thorough review of the variety of osteochondroses that affect children and adolescents. These conditions present in all different parts of the body in a wide range of patients: from the sedentary to athletic, the toddler to the pre-teen.The osteochondroses often are self-limiting and resolve with nonoperative management, but there are a few circumstances when operative treatment may be required. Recent literature confirms the heterogeneity of these conditions with respect to the clinical presentations and musculoskeletal manifestations.We think this article will heighten awareness of these disorders in the pediatric community, so that prompt intervention may be rendered.