The child elbow. Practical approach to traumatic and orthopedic disorders

PREFACE The elbow is a complex joint which allows two fundamental movements of the upper limb, flexion-extension and prono-supination; because of its complexity and conformation of the three bones that constitute the joint, the elbow has always led to difficulties in the diagnosis and treatment of the deseases and traumatic conditions that afflict it. If this statement is true for the elbow of an adult patient, the situation is even more complex for a child's elbow. The presence of several ossification centers, which appear at different ages and with different timing in boys and girls, can cause great difficulty in diagnosis and in distinguishing the normal from the pathological. An orthopedic surgeon, even if very knowledgeable, could experience serious difficulty in identifying and diagnosing a fracture of this anatomical district in a child. Imaging is often difficult to interpret and consequently diagnosis and management are delayed or not even carried out at all. For all these reasons, and driven by the wish to produce a book that collects a wide and exhaustive description of all the aspects of the pathology of the elbow in children, we assembled a panel of experts from prestigious institutions all over the world with the purpose of offering a volume as complete as possible, covering all scenarios of the diseases that can afflict the elbow in childhood. We are confident we have achieved our goal, offering an extremely useful book for the reader, whether resident or senior surgeon, interested in deepening their knowledge of this topic. Professor Antonio Andreacchio, Milano, Italy Professor Federico Canavese, Lille, Italy