Pediatric extremities and growth plates

Growth plates

A child's long bones grow at the physes, or growth plates, which are cartilage and show as dark lines near the ends of the bone. The secondary ossification centers beyond them, the epiphyses, appear and fuse on a schedule through the teen years. A normal growth plate can look like a fracture to an untrained eye, and an injured one can look normal. The radiologist may ask for a comparison view of the other side when the anatomy is unclear, but comparison views are not taken routinely.