UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: Ossification Centers of the Elbow in Children

Keywords: Ossification Centers, Elbow (PubMed Search)

Posted: 3/27/2010 by Michael Bond, MD (Updated: 12/26/2024)
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Review of the Appearance of Ossification Centers in Children's Elbows

Determing if a child's elbow has a fracture or if you are looking at an ossification center is easier if you remember the mnemonic CRITOE. This is the order that the ossification centers appear:

Capitellum 1 to 8 months
Radial Head 3 to 5 years
Internal (medial) Epicondyle 5 to 7 years
Trochlea 7 to 9 years
Olecranon 8 to 11 years
External (Lateral) Epicondyle 11 to 14 yeras