VARIATION OF BAUMANN ANGLE WITH AGE, SEX, AND SIDE - IMPLICATIONS FORITS USE IN RADIOLOGICAL MONITORING OF SUPRACONDYLAR FRACTURE OF THE HUMERUS IN CHILDREN

We examined 577 elbow radiographs of children aged 2-14 years attendin g an accident and emergency department prospectively over a 2-year per iod, and after excluding 7% with an effusion, fracture, or oblique vie w, we calculated Baumann's angle on the remainder. We grouped the radi ographs by age, sex, and side, giving 52 groups with a minimum of 10 r adiographs in each group. Baumann's angle was found to range from 64-8 2 degrees, mean 73.6 +/- 2 SD = 8.73 in boys; 69-81, mean 75.6 +/- 2 S D = 5.78 in girls; 64-82, mean 73.5 +/- 2 SD = 5.78 on the left; and 6 6-82, mean 73.7 +/- 2 SD = 7.47 on the right. Analysis of variance sho wed there was no significant difference in the mean comparing boys wit h girls at each age, left to right at each age in the boys or girls, a nd there was no increasing or decreasing trend over the years in eithe r sex on each side.