Diagnostic Accuracy of Chest Ultrasound in Diagnosing Rib Fractures, Keeping CT Chest as Gold Standard

Chest Ultrasound in Diagnosing Rib Fractures, Keeping CT Chest as Gold Standard

Abstract

Blunt chest trauma is a frequent cause of emergency visits with a high risk of rib fractures, timely identification of which is crucial for effective patient management. Objectives: To assess the accuracy of chest ultrasound in diagnosing rib fractures, keeping CT chest as a gold standard. Methods: A cross-sectional validation study was conducted at the Radiology Department, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, for six months (Jun–Nov 2023). Adult patients presenting with blunt chest trauma in the Emergency Department who fulfilled eligibility criteria were included. The presence of rib fractures was assessed in each patient by chest ultrasound and verified by CT chest. The diagnostic power of the ultrasound method was assessed and reported as sensitivity, specificity and predictive values by comparison with the gold standard. Results: The mean age reported was 35.3 ± 5.93 years; there were 61 (57.5%) male and 45 (42.4%) female. The accuracy of chest ultrasound in detecting rib fracture, with CT-chest as the reference standard, demonstrated 92.1% sensitivity, 95.2% specificity, 96.7% and 88.8% positive and negative predictive values, and an accuracy of 93.3%. Conclusions: It was concluded that chest ultrasound has good diagnostic power (93.3%) to establish the diagnosis of broken ribs in patients with trauma in emergency settings compared with CT-chest scan.