Occult femoral fracture: be aware of dual energy computed tomography.
Sergio RuggieroAndrea LaghiMarco RengoSimone ViciniIacopo CarbonePublished in: Journal of clinical ultrasound : JCU (2024)
A 74-year-old man was admitted to our emergency department following minor trauma. Plain radiographs and standard computed tomography (CT) scans revealed no signs of fractures. Subsequently, virtual noncalcium (VNCa) images were reconstructed, showing a linear area of bone marrow edema (BME) resembling a femoral neck fracture. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed to confirm the presence of BME and an associated intraspongious fracture. In an emergency setting, dual-energy CT (DECT) and VNCa images can successfully identify occult femoral fractures, especially in patients with mild symptoms and minor trauma, thereby preventing misdiagnosis.
Keyphrases
- dual energy
- computed tomography
- magnetic resonance imaging
- contrast enhanced
- emergency department
- image quality
- bone marrow
- positron emission tomography
- deep learning
- convolutional neural network
- hip fracture
- diffusion weighted imaging
- optical coherence tomography
- public health
- trauma patients
- mesenchymal stem cells
- healthcare
- magnetic resonance
- depressive symptoms
- machine learning