The Validity and Reliability of a Pocket-Sized Ultrasound to Diagnose Distal Radius Fracture and Assess Quality of Closed Reduction

Purpose Handheld ultrasound technology is increasingly used in health care. Its use for fracture care has not been adequately evaluated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate handheld, pocket-sized ultrasound in the diagnosis and assessment of reductions in distal radius fractures. Methods A total of 23 patients with distal radius fractures (average age, 53 years; 13 women) and 20 control patients (average age, 53 years; 10 women) were prospectively enrolled. All patients with distal radius fractures underwent standard, 3-view radiographic and ultrasonographic examinations of the wrist before and after closed reduction. Control patients had a one-time standard radiographic and ultrasonographic examination of the wrist. Radiographs were used as the reference standard. All images were assessed for the presence or absence of a fracture by a board-certified, hand fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon and musculoskeletal fellowship trained radiologist who were blinded to the study protocol. If a fracture was detected, the adequacy of reduction was assessed. Results The sensitivity of distal radius fracture diagnosis on ultrasound was 100% and specificity ranged from 90% to 95%. The sensitivity of identifying a satisfactory reduction ranged from 76% to 93% and specificity was 93% to 94%. Interrater reliability between the musculoskeletal radiologist and hand surgeon was K = 0.86 for diagnosing the fracture and K = 0.82 for identifying a satisfactory reduction. Intrarater reliability ranged from K = 0.82 to 0.86. Conclusions A pocket-sized, handheld diagnostic ultrasound device demonstrates the ability to diagnose distal radius fractures and assess fracture reductions. Copyright (C) 2017 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. All rights reserved.