High-frequency sonography can yield reliable information about the bone-cartilage interface and the Achilles tendon insertion site at the calcaneal tuberosity in children. The sonographic features of the normal heel described here may contribute to improved assessment of pathologies in this anatomic region.

Lower leg fractures are common and complex injuries in soccer players. Twenty-five mainly recreational soccer players who sustained a tibial shaft fracture were treated with the AO-UTN (Unreamed Tibial Nail). This prospective series included 25 males with a mean age of 28.1 years. These patients were prospectively followed for a mean period of 4.7 years. Clinical and radiographic data was collected. In addition, 20 patients completed an outcomes based questionnaire. In all but one case, the mechanism of injury was a contact with an opposing player. Shin guards provided little prevention against these fractures. The majority of these tibial shaft fractures were consistent with a short oblique or transverse fracture pattern. All fractures were stabilized with the UTN on the day of injury. Four patients had concurrent compartment syndromes and underwent a fasciotomy. Average time until bony consolidation was 11.3 weeks. No patients returned to competitive soccer activities earlier than five months after the initial injury (average 9.5). Only 11 out of 20 soccer players returned to the same level of sporting activity. Six patients never returned to playing soccer again after this injury, even without complications. The fracture of the tibial shaft in soccer players is a severe injury that can be treated safely with the UTN without major complications, but nevertheless only 50% of a mainly-recreational playing population return to the same competitive level as before the injury.

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Ultrasonography with high-frequency transducers nowadays plays an important role in diagnosing post-traumatic complaints of the elbow and hand tissue in children as well as in adults. We see it as an addition to clinical examination, standard X-ray, and other radiological methods. As a noninvasive procedure we can investigate post-traumatic changes and postoperative pain, detect foreign bodies, and also use it for postoperative metal removal. The possibility of imaging cartilage structures with ultrasound also enables us to diagnose post-traumatic injuries in children's elbows such as supracondylar fractures, epiphysiolyses, and fractures of the epicondyles.