Proximal tibial physis fractures and the use of noninvasive studies in detecting vascular injury: a case report and literature review.

A fracture to the proximal tibia physis is a relatively rare injury, possibly because of the relatively protected position of the physis in the knee. Rarer yet is a displaced, apex-anterior, growth plate fracture. This injury should be regarded as a knee dislocation and evaluated for the potentially catastrophic outcome of a thrombosed popliteal artery. The risk of vasospasm in children from an invasive procedure (e.g., angiogram), however, must be taken into account. This article presents an unusual case of an anteriorly displaced proximal tibia physis fracture in a 14-year-old boy. A noninvasive solution for evaluation of the potential vascular injury is proposed.