Physeal injury in a lightning strike survivor

Electrical injuries resulting in physeal injury in children are an uncommon but well-recognized clinical entity. Almost all those injuries are sustain ed from man-made electrical sources. To date, there have been no published cases of arrest after lightning strike. The authors report the case of a 12 -year-old girl who survived a lightning strike 2 years ago and who presente d with asymmetric growth arrest in both legs. The authors discuss the patho physiology of lightning strike and consider the evidence for direct electri cal injury versus ischemic insult to the physis as explanations for the cau se of the growth arrest observed in this patient.