Towards evidence-based emergency medicine: Best BETs from the Manchester Royal Infirmary. BET 2: Is ultrasound or plain film radiography a more sensitive diagnostic modality for diagnosing slipped capital femoral epiphysis?

A short-cut review was carried out to establish whether ultrasound or plain radiography is a more sensitive diagnostic modality for slipped capital femoral epiphysis. Three studies were directly relevant to the question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are shown in table 2. The clinical bottom line is that ultrasonography is more sensitive then radiography for diagnosing slipped capital femoral epiphysis based on the results of small studies.