The Value of B-Mode Ultrasound in Acute Trauma of Lower Extremities

The purpose of our study retrospective scientific review was to compare Ultrasound (US) with conventional MR findings in patients with acute trauma of the hip, knee and ankle without visible bone fracture on conventional radiograms and to evaluate the accuracy of B-mode high frequency US in the diagnosis of soft tissue lesions. Our retrospective study included 85 patients with a history of acute trauma of hip, 207 patients with a history of acute trauma of knee and 128 patients with a history of acute trauma of ankle. All patients were referred by orthopaedic surgeons. Inclusion criterion for the study was acute trauma without bone fracture as stated in the surgical records. Patients were submitted to full history taking, clinical examination, standard radiograms, ultrasound 7-15 MHz using linear probe in B-mode and conventional MR. We found no statistically significant difference between US and MR findings using NPar Tests and the McNemar Test in intraarticular effusion, complete and partial muscle, tendon and ligament rupture. So, we can conclude that both US and MR were equally sensitive in detecting the presence (or absence) of the intraarticular effusion, muscle, tendon and ligament injury. Only in the case clinical suspicion of bone marrow edema and cartilage lesion we prefer MR imaging.