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Is glass visible on plain radiographs? A cadaver study
N Arbona1, M Jedrzynski, R Frankfather
1Harris County Podiatric Surgical Residency Program, West Houston Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Radiographs can detect nonleaded glass fragments, even in complex cases. Factors like glass color or location do not impact visibility, but smaller volumes may be harder to detect.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Forensic Science
- Materials Science
Background:
- Nonleaded glass fragments from consumer products can be found in the environment.
- Assessing the detectability of foreign objects in medical imaging is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if nonleaded glass is visible on plain radiographs.
- To investigate the influence of glass color, location, and volume on radiographic detection.
- To evaluate the reliability of glass fragment detection among observers.
Main Methods:
- Eighteen nonleaded glass fragments from bottles were placed into a cadaver foot.
- Radiographs were taken using four standard foot projections.
- Five examiners reviewed the radiographs twice, recording fragment visibility.
Main Results:
- Overall sensitivity for glass detection was 90% with a 10% false-positive rate.
- High intraobserver and interobserver reliability (Pearson's correlation coefficients) were observed.
- Glass color and location did not affect detection, but volumes <15 mm³ showed a potential impact.
Conclusions:
- Nonleaded glass is reliably detectable on plain radiographs.
- Radiographic detection is not significantly affected by glass color or fragment location.
- Fragment volume, particularly below 15 mm³, may influence the detectability of nonleaded glass.
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