Effectiveness of ultrasonography performed at the emergency department for pediatric elbow trauma cases.

Background: Two-way direct radiography is the first-choice imaging method for pediatric patients presenting to the emergency department with elbow trauma. Although, unlike radiography, ultrasonography (US) is not used routinely, studies show that US can be used in the diagnosis of fractures in pediatric patients.

Methods: In this single-center prospective observational study, patients under the age of 18 who presented to the emergency department after sustaining elbow trauma constituted the population of the study. Findings of the posterior fat pad sign using bedside US and the result obtained by seven-point assessment of the bone cortex were compared with the final diagnosis.

Results: Of the 128 patients enrolled in the study, 6 patients were excluded due to various reasons. Seventy (57.4%) patients were male, and median age was 7.7 years. On examining the final diagnosis of the patients at the emergency department, fracture diagnosis was observed in 39 patients (32%). It was determined that fracture diagnosis for 94.9% of the patients included in the study could be achieved using US (in the presence of at least the fat pad sign and/or direct findings of fracture based on the seven-point assessment).

Conclusion: US should be considered as a diagnostic tool in cases of pediatric elbow traumas owing to its high sensitivity and negative predictive value. US, which is reproducible, ionizing radiation-free, and can be performed at the bedside, can considerably reduce unnecessary radiography in low-risk patients when evaluated along with physical examination findings among patients in the pediatric age group presenting with elbow trauma. We believe that the result of our study will contribute to patient care practices.