FATIGUE FRACTURE OF THE SACRUM IN A CHILD

The authors describe a 9-year-old girl with stress fracture of the sac rum. Such fractures can cause low-back or hip pain in children but may not be evident on plain films, The appearance on scintigraphy is not diagnostic. Likewise, the findings on magnetic resonance imaging may b e nonspecific or confusing, because changes in signal intensity in the marrow may not be sufficient to distinguish infection or malignancy f rom healing of the fracture. Computed tomography can be more specific in delineating a sclerotic fracture oriented parallel to the sacroilia c joint. Recognition of the characteristic radiographic findings in sa cral fatigue fractures can prevent incorrect diagnosis and unnecessary diagnostic procedures or treatments.