(iv) Cervical spine problems in children

SummaryThe paediatric spine is the site of a number of conditions, both congenital and acquired, which are unusual in adult practice if not unique to paediatrics. Some insight into the embryological development of the cervical spine, the normal paediatric anatomy and its development into the standard adult anatomy is crucial to understanding paediatric spinal pathology. Conditions which frequently come under the remit of orthopaedic surgeons such as trauma, bony tumours and congenital bony and ligamentous disorders are discussed.