Mohsen Ebrahimi - Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Seyed Reza Habibzadeh - Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Sayyed Reza Ahmadi - Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Mohammad Majid Kaveh - Department of Emergency Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Mahdi Foroughian - Department of Emergency Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Background and Aim : Metatarsus is one of the most common sites in the sole of foot bonesfractures. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound in thediagnosis of metatarsal bone fractures following foot trauma.Methods : This cross-sectional study was carried out on patients with blunt foot trauma admittedto emergency department, Mashhad, Iran from January to September 2016. All patients wereevaluated with bedside ultrasound for the presence of the first to fifth metatarsal fracture andscreening performance characteristics of ultrasonography in detection of metatarsal fractures werecalculated considering the food radiography as reference test.Results : The study was conducted on 102 patients with a mean age of 35.14±14.32 years (56.8%male). The most common signs of trauma in physical examination were pain and tenderness(100%), swelling (96.1%), ecchymosis (14.7%) and deformity (1.9%). The sensitivity, specific it y,positive and negative likelihood ratio of ultrasonography in detection of metatarsal bone fracturewere 96.7% (95% CI: 0.83-0.99), 84.5% (95% CI: 0.73-0.92), 73.1% (95% CI: 0.57-0.85), and98.3% (95% CI: 0.91-0.99), respectively. The overall accuracy of test based on area under theROC curve was 0.906 (95% CI: 0.844 – 0.969)Conclusion : : Considering the excellent diagnostic accuracy, ultrasonography can be used as analternative means in the diagnosis of metatarsal bone fractures.

Ultrasound; Radiography; Fracture; Metatarsal Bones