Abstract:Objective To investigate the radiographic characteristics of pediatric nasal bone fracture based on the analysis of computed tomography (CT) images, and to provide a foundation for the individualized diagnosis and treatment scheme for pediatric nasal bone fracture.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 285 pediatric patients (191 males and 94 females) with nasal bone fracture diagnosed and treated in our department between Jan 2016 and May 2021. The age range of the patients was from 7 months to 14 years with an average of 8.52±3.51. The study cohort was categorized into three groups based on age:preschool group (0-5 years), primary school group (6-11 years), and junior high school group (12-14 years). DICOM format CT images were collected from the Department of Radiology and subjected to three-dimensional reconstruction using Mimics software. The characteristics of nasal bone fracture in the aforementioned patients were analyzed, and the incidence of associated fractures in the midfacial region was documented. Furthermore, a novel CT-based classification method for pediatric nasal bone fracture was proposed.Results Based on the incidence rate statistics, the preschool group comprised 69 individuals (24.21%), the primary school group had 145 (50.88%), and the middle school group included 71 (24.91%). Regarding the statistical analysis of fracture patterns, there were 210 cases of simple nasal bone fracture (73.68%) and 75 cases of compound nasal bone fractures (26.32%). Based on the CT images of these patients, the radiological characteristics of pediatric nasal bone fractures were analyzed, and four types of pediatric nasal bone fractures were classified, as follows:type I, simple nasal bone fracture without displacement, 34 cases (11.93%); type II, simple nasal bone fracture with displacement, 176 cases (61.75%); type III, nasal bone fracture combined with one other midfacial bone fracture, 70 cases (24.57%); type IV, nasal bone fracture combined with two or more other midfacial bone fractures, 5 cases (1.75%).Conclusions The proposed classification method for nasal bone fractures, based on radiological analysis of pediatric cases, demonstrates a high degree of concordance with the actual fractures. This method enables a more accurate assessment of the condition of nasal bone fracture in children and provides valuable guidance for personalized treatment strategy.