Point-of-Care Ultrasound Used to Diagnose Sternal Fractures Missed by Conventional Imaging
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Carleigh Benton; Paul Adeeb Khalil; Amanda G Toney
- Source
- Pediatric Emergency Care. 37:106-107
- Subject
- 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
- Language
- ISSN
- 1535-1815
0749-5161
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.