Clinical Aspects of the Tubular Bones Epiphyseal Plate Malformations (Literature review)

The objective: to analyze the significance of tubular bone epiphyseal plate malformations in the practice of a pediatric orthopedist and surgeon using the example of Blount’s disease, bone-cartilage exostoses for the purpose of timely diagnosis, treatment and prevention of secondary complications. Materials and methods. In order to achieve the set task, a retrospective analysis of the results of the examination of children who were on inpatient treatment in the regional children’s hospital was carried out. X-ray examination method was the main one. An in-depth analysis of scientific articles on this topic in journals indexed in the Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, ResearchGate, Google Scholar databases was also conducted. The search was conducted using the following keywords: “Epiphyseal Plate Malformation”, “Long Bones”, “Growth Plate Injury”, “Physiologic Overview”, “Physical Activity Effects”, “Physeal Fractures”, “Musculoskeletal Imaging”, “Epiphyseal Fusion”, “Achondroplasia”, “Blount Disease”, “Corrective Osteotomy”, “Peroneal Nerve Injury”, “Osteochondroma”, “Guided Growth”, “Craniofacial Osteomas”, “Chondroblastoma”. Results. The epiphyseal plate is a hyaline cartilage that is located between the epiphysis and metaphysis of tubular bones, it is unique only to children. The shape and length of the bone depends on its function, after the end of growth it disappears and is replaced by full-fledged bone tissue. Blount’s disease which is caused by improper function of the epiphyseal plate of the proximal metaphysis of the tibia, usually occurs in children aged 3 to 6 years. It leads to progressive varus curvature, lameness, muscle hypotonia and curvature of the spine. Four variants of Blount’s disease have been identified, the main diagnostic tool of which is radiology. Treatment varies from conservative methods to various surgical interventions. Juvenile osteocartilaginous exostoses, a hereditary disease with a dominant pattern of inheritance, lead to abnormal bone growth. Radiographic characteristics and surgical removal of symptomatic exostoses were critical to treatment. Surgical techniques have demonstrated high success rates in correcting deformities and improving function. Conclusions. Malformations of the epiphyseal plate significantly affect the development of Blount’s disease and bonecartilaginous exostoses, as well as both minor and significant bone deformities in children. That is why this question is important for the routine practice of children’s orthopedic traumatologists. An analysis of modern scientific sources provides insight into the diagnosis and treatment of malformations of the epiphyseal plate, emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis and individualized treatment plans.