Bedside hip ultrasonography in the pediatric emergency department: a tool to guide management in patients presenting with limp.
We present a case of a 3-year-old girl brought to the emergency department for evaluation of limp after falling off the monkey bars 1 day prior. X-rays of the entire left lower extremity were normal with no evidence of fracture, dislocation, or effusion. Point-of-care ultrasound of the left hip demonstrated a hip effusion, which prompted further imaging, ultimately revealing an occult fracture of the left proximal femoral metaphysis. This case demonstrates the ability of point-of-care ultrasound to guide the management of patients presenting to the pediatric emergency department with musculoskeletal complaints.
From the *Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, MD; †Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Julia
J
Deanehan
Rachel
R
Gallagher
Rebecca
R
Vieira
Jason
J
Levy
D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005596:Fractures, Closed / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D014463:Ultrasonography