Introduction: The elbow joint is considered the most complicated region regarding fracture diagnostics in paediatric skeletal traumatology. It comprises of 6-10 secondary ossification centres, which appear at different ages.
This article summarizes the knowledge regarding the development of ossification around the elbow joint and its relationship to diagnostics of pae-diatric skeletal trauma, with a focus on the most frequent pitfalls of the evaluation of radiographs of the elbow joint in paediatric patients. Methods: Review of literature with addition of the authors' own experience.
Conclusion: Plain X-rays are often sufficient in the diag-nostics of paediatric elbow trauma; however, precise and correct evaluation requires a perfect know-ledge of the ossification process of epi- and apophyses, as well as broad experience with paediatric elbow X-rays at individual age categories.