[Comparison of MRI and CT for assessment of childhood fractures: studies on a porcine model].
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the capacity of MRI to achieve a diagnostic accuracy in pediatric fracture diagnosis comparable to CT.


METHODS
In an ex vivo study design, simulating pediatric skeletal trauma, 248 limb bones of 9 dead young pigs with intact soft tissue were fractured. The samples were examined in a 1.5 T MRI with T1-weighted SE sequences. A standard scanning protocol was chosen for 64 multislice CT. CT results served as the reference standard.


RESULTS
A total of 168 fractures were found. Seven fractures were missed by MRI, whereas another six ones were detected solely by MRI. The fracture type was the same in 137, partially the same in 12, and different in 6 cases. The dislocation was the same in 137, partially the same in 13, and different in 5 fractures. All differences were not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
MRI has a diagnostic accuracy in fracture diagnosis comparable to CT. Therefore, protocols of traumatology in infancy should be revised.
Klinik für Diagnostische Radiologie, Pädiatrische Radiologie und Sonographie, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Straße 3, Haus 9, 24105, Kiel, Deutschland, joerg.d.moritz@rad.uni-kiel.de.
J D
JD
Moritz
B
B
Hoffmann
D
D
Sehr
A
A
Caliebe
G
G
Groth
M
M
Heller
H
H
Bolte
D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013552:Swine; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*