Coronal clefts in infants - Rare differential diagnosis of traumatic injuries of vertebral bodies in battered children.

[child syndrome]

Accidental and nonaccidental spinal injuries are generally rarely seen in infants . If affected , vertebral bodies usually present compression fractures due to forced hyperflexion or hypertension . Radiographic examination of the infantile skeleton can reveal a radiolucent band running through a vertebral body . These so called vertebral clefts are mainly visualized in the lateral spinal radiograph . Usually they can be found in the 1 st year of life . Radiological appearance of coronal clefts was compared to that of a traumatic vertebral compression fracture . Clefts were mostly localized in the lumbar spine and had a completely different radiological appearance comparing to a traumatic compression fracture . As coronal clefts can be seen as a result from a retarded ossification of the vertebral bodies in fetal development they are a physiological variant . Due to this different etiology they have to be distinguished from spinal signs of child abuse .