Comparison of ultrasonography and conventional radiography in the diagnosis of extremity fractures in the emergency department

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of the study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) of ultrasonography (USG) with that of conventional radiography (CR), the standard imaging modality used to diagnose acute extremities fractures.
Material and Method: The prospective investigation examined 245 patients with clinical symptoms of an extremity fracture. Radiography (anteroposterior and lateral radiographs for each patient, oblique if necessary) and USG were performed on all participants and compared with all the results.
Results: CR verified 98.5% of 132 patients who were determined to have extremities fractures with USG. CR, on the other hand, confirmed 99.1% of 112 patients who were reported to have no extremities fractures by USG. The sensitivity (detection of fractures based on USG of patients with fractures detected based on the CR imaging) was 99.2% (95%CI=95.8-99.9); selectivity (no fracture was detected based on USG of patients with no fracture detected based on the CR imaging) was 98.2% (95%CI=93.8-99.7); the positive predictability was 98.48% (95%CI=94.2-99.6), whereas the negative predictability value was 99.1%(95%CI=94-99.8).
Conclusion: USG and CR showed similar diagnostic performances in the diagnosis of extremity fractures. USG can be considered an alternative to CR in the examination of extremity fractures with comparable diagnostic performance. 

Keywords

• Ultrasonography
• accuracy
• sensitivity and specificity
• extremity fracture

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