[Use of sonography in splinter injuries: a model simulation]

In many clinical disciplines and in forensics, non-visible splinter injuries are still a diagnostic challenge. In clinical routine, this kind of injury is diagnosed by radiography whereas ultrasound has not yet been applied for this indication. We, therefore, investigated the role of ultrasound in the detection of splinters by using gelatine and meat models. Splinters were from wood, roses, plastics, metal, and glass. All splinters were easily detectable by ultrasound. The ultrasound models were compared with X-ray images and, in the case of a rose thorn scarcely visible in the conventional X-ray image, with a CT scan. As demonstrated by the promising results of this simulation, ultrasound may be a significant improvement for in vivo and post mortem diagnostics of splinter injuries as compared to conventional X-ray imaging.