Acute unilateral L5 pedicle fracture associated with a pre-existing contralateral spondylolysis is a rare lesion. We report a case in a non-competitive 12-year-old boy. We present the clinical, radiological and specific management of this rare condition. The clinical and radiological draft of this patient was reviewed. The followup was 30 months after fracture healing. Some cases reported in the literature were analyzed and our clinical findings and therapeutic strategy was compared and discussed. Non-operative treatment was done including fulltime bracing in a modified Boston brace incorporating one thigh for 3 months. Plain radiographs and computed tomographic (CT)-scan performed at 3 and 6 months showed progressive healing of the pedicle fracture and no modification of the contralateral isthmic spondylolytic lesion. At final follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic and resumed all his activities. In skeletally immature patients, we think that conservative treatment should be considered as a treatment option for this unusual injury.

For several years, digitized small radiographs are used to measure Cobb angle in idiopathic scoliosis. The interobserver and intraobserver Cobb angle measurement variability associated with small radiographs were compared with measurement variability associated with the long-cassette radiographs. Twenty adolescent patients with a double major idiopathic scoliosis had erect full-spine p-A radiographs and Cobb angle measurements performed by eight different observers on a 30 · 90 cm plain-film radiograph and a digitized 14 · 42 cm image. Inter-observer and intra-observer reliability using each techniques were assessed using a paired t-test, Spearman rank correlation study and intraclass correlation coefficients. The angle variability between small film and plain-film measurements was assessed using the same methods. Intraobserver and inter-observer study showed good reliability using both techniques. The comparison between small films and plain-films measurements showed very good agreement with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 95% and confidence interval between 0.962 and 0.972. In our study, Cobb angle determination was not found to vary significantly with film size. The small film image used for full-spine radiographs in our institution allows manual Cobb angle measurements to be performed. A study is currently conducted in our institution to determine if a computer-assisted measurement method significantly improves Cobb angle measurements reliability in routine practice compared with manual measurements of Cobb angles on small films.

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