Aim: To describe the disease spectrum of torticollis in Chinese children and to improve its diagnostic flowchart.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted at the Rehabilitation Department of Beijing Children's Hospital from 2017 to 2021. Patients were diagnosed and referred based on a diagnostic flowchart of torticollis. Detailed patient data were collected from the outpatient electronic medical record system.
Results: A total of 2047 patients met the inclusion criteria. The top five conditions were congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) (76.6%), cerebral palsy (5.1%), ocular torticollis (4.7%), brachial plexus injury (1.9%) and atlantoaxial rotary subluxation (1.3%). CMT was most common in 0-2 year olds, cerebral palsy in 3-5 year olds, and atlantoaxial rotary subluxation in 7-12 year olds. The top five referral departments were orthopaedics, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, head and neck surgery, neurology and neurosurgery.
Conclusions: The disease spectrum of torticollis in children and the diagnostic flowchart provide important references for diagnosing torticollis, which necessitates multidisciplinary collaboration.
Keywords: children; diagnostic flowchart; multidisciplinary collaboration; torticollis.
© 2024 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).