Point-of-care ultrasound for the diagnosis of distal forearm fractures in children and adolescents: a scoping review.

Distal forearm fractures are the most common pediatric fractures. Currently, the diagnostic reference standard is X-ray. However, there is growing evidence that point-of-care ultrasound can be used for the diagnosis of distal forearm fractures in children and adolescents with good accuracy. The objective of this scoping review was to explore the current evidence for the use of ultrasound for the diagnosis of pediatric distal forearm fractures and to identify the gaps in the literature for further research. We performed a scoping review searching on the following databases PubMed, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and ClinicalTrials.gov. The main review question was "What is the evidence for using ultrasound to diagnose distal forearm fractures in patients < 18 years old?" All types of studies, including randomized clinical trials and prospective and retrospective observational studies (case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies, case series) were included. Twenty-three articles were included in the scoping review; only two articles were from a single randomized controlled trial. Our scoping review found high sensitivity (91.5-99.5%) and specificity (85-99.5%) of POCUS for distal forearm fracture diagnosis. All studies used a linear ultrasound probe, with an upper range frequency ranging from 5 to 15 MHz and typically used a six-view scanning protocol. The duration of the procedure was only a few minutes, and pain associated with ultrasound was usually mild. When compared with X-ray, an ultrasound first approach shortened the length of stay by an average of 15 min per participant.

Conclusions

The evidence suggests that ultrasound can be used for the diagnosis of clinically nondeformed distal forearm fractures in children and adolescents by a variety of practitioners. However, the current gaps in the literature include its translation into clinical practice and its cost-effectiveness.