[Computerized tomography as a diagnostic complement of standard radiograms in the evaluation of traumatic lesions of the carpal scaphoid. A study of 10 cases].

The authors investigated the value of direct coronal CT as a diagnostic complement to plain radiography in the assessment of post-traumatic scaphoid conditions. The series included 10 patients who were selected either for disagreement of clinical and radiological findings, the latter being negative (3 patients), or for better assessment of radiological findings, which had diagnosed bone lesions, in order to plan treatment (7 cases). CT provided additional information in 5 patients, demonstrating 2 nonunited fractures in the first group and 2 pseudoarthroses with no significant bone deformity and 1 osteonecrosis in the second group. These results, which proved essential to plan the subsequent treatment, show that CT has, at present, in specific cases, a definite role in evaluating post-traumatic scaphoid conditions, and stress the value of direct coronal images, which are both easy to interpret, being equivalent to radiographs in postero-anterior projection, and quick to perform.