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To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound secondary signs of fractures in pediatric patients aged 5–15 y presenting to the emergency department with a clinically non-deformed distal forearm injury. This diagnostic study was conducted in South East Queensland, Australia. Emergency clinicians performed point-of-care ultrasound on eligible patients and recorded secondary signs of fractures (pronator quadratus hematoma [PQH] sign, periosteal hematoma, visible angulation) or physeal fractures (fracture-to-physis distance [FPD], physis alteration). The reference standard was the final fracture diagnosis determined by expert panel. The primary outcome was the diagnostic accuracy of secondary signs for cortical breach and physeal fractures. Diagnostic statistics were reported for each relevant secondary sign. A total of 135 participants were enrolled. The expert panel diagnosed 48 "no" fracture, 52 "buckle" fracture and 35 "other" fracture. All "other" fractures were cortical breach fractures and included 15 Salter–Harris II fractures. The PQH sign demonstrated high sensitivity and moderate specificity to diagnose cortical breach fractures (91%, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 78%–97% and 82%, 73%–88%). Poor sensitivity but high specificity was observed for the visible angulation and periosteal hematoma secondary signs. FPD <1cm showed perfect sensitivity and moderate specificity (100%, 80%–100% and 85%, 78%–90%) for diagnosis of Salter–Harris II fracture. Conversely, physis alteration showed poor sensitivity but excellent specificity (40%, 20%–64% and 99%, 95%–100%) for the diagnosis of Salter–Harris II fractures. Ultrasound secondary signs showed good diagnostic accuracy for both cortical breach fractures and Salter–Harris II fractures. Future research should consider optimal use of secondary signs to improve diagnostic accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salter-Harris II fractures of the distal radius can result in serious complications. The aim of this study was to measure the fracture-physis distance using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to determine whether a certain distance is associated with Salter-Harris II fractures, compared with other fracture types, in a cohort of children with X-ray-identified distal radius fractures. Participants were from a parent diagnostic study conducted in an Australian tertiary pediatric emergency department, which prospectively evaluated the diagnosis of pediatric distal forearm fractures using POCUS compared against X-ray. Nurse practitioners, who underwent 2 h of training, administered a six-view POCUS protocol in clinically non-angulated pediatric forearm injuries prior to X-ray. This was a secondary analysis of data from the parent study. The 122 participants with X-ray-identified distal radius fractures from the parent study had their POCUS images interpreted by two emergency physician sonologists, who measured the fracture-physis distance. The median and maximum fracture-physis distances for Salter-Harris II fractures (n = 19) were 8.00 and 9.85 mm, whereas minimum and median distances for incomplete fractures (n = 22) were 10.20 and 15.98 mm, and those for complete fractures (n = 9) were 10.85 and 12.85 mm. Buckle fracture (n = 72) distances ranged from 4.35 to 26.55 mm, with a median of 13.65 mm. In children diagnosed with a distal radius fracture on X-ray, a fracture-physis distance cutoff of 1 cm differentiated Salter-Harris II fractures from other cortical breach fracture types, but not buckle fractures. Although this exploratory study suggests the "POCUS 1-cm rule" could be used as a secondary sign to augment the diagnosis of Salter-Harris II distal radius fractures using POCUS, further research is required to validate this measurement prospectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]