Abstract
Study objective: To determine the accuracy of detection of wood and plastic foreign bodies in human tissue by relatively inexperienced clinicians using typical ultrasound equipment. Methods: Uniform wood and plastic foreign bodies were placed through small punctures into recently amputated human legs. Identical control punctures contained no foreign bodies; the sequence of foreign bodies and controls for the puncture sites was randomized. A second blinded investigator scanned each puncture site with a 7.5-MHz ultrasound probe to determine the presence or absence of foreign material. Results: Eighty punctures were scanned. Ultrasound detected 44 of 53 foreign bodies (83% sensitivity). Wood foreign bodies were detected 25 of 27 times (93%) and plastic foreign bodies 19 of 26 times (73%; P=.13). Overall, there were 11 false-positive readings (59% specificity). Conclusion: Ultrasound is imperfect but may be useful in screening for superficial foreign bodies in human tissue. Clinical utility in the ED setting remains to be tested.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 353-356 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Annals of Emergency Medicine |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1997 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Emergency Medicine