Pitfalls
- A subtle fracture may be missed if insufficient attention is paid to the appearance of an elevated anterior fat pad
- Radial head dislocation may not be obvious and should be excluded with use of the radio-capitellar line
- A minimally displaced supracondylar fracture may not be obvious and should be excluded with use of the anterior-humeral line
- Misinterpretation of the paediatric elbow x-ray may result from a lack of knowledge of the appearance of ossification centres
- Associated injuries may be missed if the identification of one bony injury does not prompt a search for others with further radiography