Keywords:
Musculoskeletal bone, Trauma, Conventional radiography, CT, MR, Complications, Cost-effectiveness, Acute
Authors:
L. Cristiano1, A. Bartoloni1, G. Fioroni2, G. Manfredonia3, G. Argento1; 1Rome/IT, 2Scandriglia/IT, 3Fondi/IT
DOI:
10.1594/essr2017/P-0152
Conclusion
X-ray can be considered the basic imaging technique in patients with an elbow trauma, and it's often sufficient to show elbow fracture.
Pre-Surgical CT is necessary when we suspect a bone lesion or a free intra-articular fragment.
Post-surgical CT is very useful to evaluate stump fracture consolidation.
Gd-MRI is very important to study elbow instability and in particular ligament joint injuries.
The role of CT appears absolutely primary in elbow trauma expecially for its ability to ecognize thin fracture lines,
free intra-articular bone fragments and for the ability to perform 3D images reconstructions.
This provides modern radiologists who have to deal with orthopedic trauma to expand the use of CT in complex injuries,
expecially in particularly complex articular districts such as the elbow.