[Fractures and cartilage injuries of the knee joint in children].

In the last decade we treated and followed up 48 children in the Department of Paediatric Surgery in Heidelberg with fractures and cartilaginous injuries of the knee joint. In 13 cases we could see severe osseous injuries localised at the epiphyseal plate. With decreasing frequency, the following conditions occurred: avulsion fractures of the intercondylar eminence, fracture of the tibia head in children, fractures of the patella and avulsions of the tuberositas tibiae. Furthermore, we report about the special problems of foreign bodies incorporated in the knee joints of children, particularly if sewing needles are involved.