Infantile cortical hyperostosis (ICH) is a self-limited inflammatory disorder of infants that causes bone changes, soft tissue swelling and irritability.

Affected bones have included the mandible, tibia, ulna, clavicle, scapula, ribs, humerus, femur, fibula, skull, ilium, and metatarsals.

When the mandible (lower jaw bone) is affected, infants may refuse to eat, leading to failure to thrive.

[2] In the early stages of infantile cortical hyperostosis, biopsy shows inflammation of the periosteum and adjacent soft tissues.

[citation needed] Radiographs initially show layers of periosteal new bone formation with cortical thickening.

[citation needed] Osteomyelitis (bone infection), which is much more common than infantile cortical hyperostosis, must be excluded, since it requires urgent treatment.

[citation needed] Infantile cortical hyperostosis is a self-limited condition, meaning that the disease resolves on its own without treatment, usually within 6–9 months.

He described a group of infants with tender swelling in the soft tissues and cortical thickenings in the skeleton, with onset of these findings during the first 3 months of life.