Ultrasound for diagnosis of scaphoid fractures.

We investigated the diagnostic value of two different ultrasound scanning methods for the early diagnosis of acute scaphoid fractures. Fifty-seven patients with ten scaphoid fractures were assessed within a week of injury. The accuracy of the ultrasound assessment was 84% and its specificity was 91%. However, its sensitivity was only 50%. We conclude that ultrasound examination is unreliable for the diagnosis of acute scaphoid fractures.