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Updated: Jun 28, 2026
08:43
Imaging of the Microstructural Failure Mechanism in the Human Hip
Published on: September 29, 2023
Imaging choices in occult hip fracture
Jesse Cannon1, Salvatore Silvestri, Mark Munro
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Orlando Regional Medical Center, Orlando, Florida 32806, USA.
The Journal of Emergency Medicine
|October 31, 2008
Summary
Diagnosing occult hip fractures is crucial. While plain radiographs are usually sufficient, this review explores advanced imaging techniques like CT, scintigraphy, and MRI for difficult cases.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Orthopedic Surgery
Background:
- Hip fractures affect over 250,000 individuals annually in the US.
- Accurate hip fracture diagnosis is vital due to the hip's importance in daily mobility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review literature on hip fracture detection methods.
- To discuss the advantages and limitations of various imaging modalities for hip fracture diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of diagnostic imaging techniques for hip fractures.
- Analysis of plain radiographs, computed tomography (CT), scintigraphy, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Main Results:
- Plain radiographs are 90% sensitive for detecting hip fractures.
- Occult hip fractures occur in 3-4% of patients with negative initial X-rays.
- CT, scintigraphy, and MRI have limitations for evaluating occult hip fractures.
Conclusions:
- An evidence-based algorithm for evaluating suspected occult hip fractures in the Emergency Department (ED) is presented.
- Future research is needed to identify more effective techniques for occult hip fracture detection.
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