Occult fractures in preschool children.

Five hundred consecutive radiographic examinations of acutely limping infants and toddlers were analyzed retrospectively. One hundred of the 500 (20%) had a fracture as the underlying etiology. Although the most common sites of involvement were the tibia/fibula (56 cases) and femur (30 cases), fractures in the pelvis and feet, notably the metatarsals (11 cases), also were seen. We therefore recommend obtaining radiographs of the pelvis and both lower extremities including the feet, when occult trauma is suspected and the exact area of injury cannot be pinpointed clinically.