Can we assess healing of surgically treated long bone fractures on radiograph?
(2018) Diagnostic & Interventional Imaging — Vol. 99, n° 6, p. 381-386 (2018)
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- PURPOSE: To determine the frequency and causes for limitations in the radiographic evaluation of surgically treated long bone fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six readers separately scored 140 sets of antero-posterior (AP) and lateral radiographs of surgically treated long bone fractures, using a radiographic union score (RUS). We determined the rate of assessability of the fracture edges at each of the four cortical segments (n=560) seen tangentially on the two radiographs and the causes for non-assessability. The rate of feasibility of the RUS (more than two fracture edges assessable per fracture) was determined and compared according to different parameters. RESULTS: Fracture edges were visible in 71% to 81% of the 560 cortical segments. Metal hardware superimposition was the most frequent cause for non-assessability (79-95%). RUS values could be calculated in 58% to 75% of fractures. Scoring was statistically significantly less frequently calculable in plated (31-56%) than in nailed fractures (90-97%), in distal (47-61%) than in proximal (78-89%) bones and in upper (27-49%) than in lower (76-91%) limb bones (P≤0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The type of stabilization hardware is the main limiting factor in the radiographic assessment of surgically treated long bone fractures. Scoring was feasible in only 31% to 56% of plated fractures.
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Perlepe, V., Omoumi, P., Larbi, A., Putineanu, D. C., Dubuc, J.-E., Schubert, T., & Vande Berg, B. (2018). Can we assess healing of surgically treated long bone fractures on radiograph? Diagnostic & Interventional Imaging, 99(6), 381-386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diii.2018.02.004 (Original work published 2018)