Comparison of Radiography and Ultrasound for Diagnosis of Rib Fractures in Canine Cadavers

Human studies suggest point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is superior to radiographs for diagnosing rib fractures, but its efficacy in veterinary medicine remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the sensitivity and specificity of POCUS and digital radiographs for detecting rib fractures in canine cadavers, using necropsy as the reference standard. Nine canine cadavers were randomly assigned to either a fracture or control group, with fractures created surgically. Blinded evaluations were performed by an expert and novice sonographer, as well as a board-certified radiologist and a novice radiograph interpreter. Sensitivity and specificity for detecting rib fractures were 83% and 99.74% for ultrasound and 82% and 99.22% for radiographs, with no significant difference between modalities. However, the time required to identify rib fractures varied significantly, with ultrasound taking considerably longer than radiograph interpretation. The expert and novice sonographers required an average of 26 and 64 min, respectively, whereas the radiologist and novice radiograph interpreter took 3 and 10 min. These findings suggest that POCUS and radiographs provide comparable accuracy in detecting rib fractures in canine cadavers. Excluding the time required to obtain radiographs, ultrasound takes longer than radiograph interpretation to identify rib fractures. While POCUS remains a valuable diagnostic tool, its practicality in a clinical setting needs further investigation.