1. Point-of-Care Ultrasound Used to Diagnose Sternal Fractures Missed by Conventional Imaging
- Author
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Carleigh Benton, Paul Adeeb Khalil, and Amanda G Toney
- Subjects
Sternum ,medicine.medical_specialty ,animal structures ,Thoracic Injuries ,Point-of-Care Systems ,Computed tomography ,Imaging modalities ,Fractures, Bone ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,030225 pediatrics ,medicine ,Humans ,cardiovascular diseases ,Child ,Thoracic trauma ,Ultrasonography ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Point of care ultrasound ,Ultrasound ,030208 emergency & critical care medicine ,General Medicine ,musculoskeletal system ,body regions ,surgical procedures, operative ,Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health ,Emergency Medicine ,Radiology ,business - Abstract
Sternal fractures have often been associated with high-impact thoracic trauma. In children, this is not always the case. X-ray and even computed tomography can miss subtle sternal fractures. Point-of-care ultrasound has been shown to be more sensitive and specific for detecting subtle sternal fractures as compared with plain X-ray. The following 2 cases describe sternal fractures that were missed by traditional imaging modalities, including a fracture missed by chest computed tomography. They also highlight other potential causative mechanisms for sternal fractures in children, including hyperflexion injuries and low-mechanism motor vehicle accidents.
- Published
- 2020
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