Application Of Multislice Spiral CT And Its Postprocessing Techniques In Intra-articular Fractures

Objective:To investigate the application of multislice spiral CT and its postprocessing techniques in diagnosing intra-articular fractures, evaluate the value of detecting the injury details of articular surface and the use of guiding therapy.Methods:Eighty-nine cases of intra-articular were studied. X-ray plain film and MSCT were taken in all patients. Their volume data of MSCT were transferred to working station for multiplanar reconstruction( MPR) and volume rendering ( VR) .The different methods were analyzed comparatively on their diagnostic sensitivity, evaluation of articular injury and fracture typing. Results: The diagnostic sensitivity of axial images, MPR and VR were all great higher than X-ray plain film (P<0.0001) .On the performance of displaying articular surface rupture, MPR was significantly better than X-ray plain film, axial images and VR (P<0.01) .On the performance of displaying articular surface collapse, MPR and VR was significantly better than X-ray plain film and axial images (P<0.0001) .On the performance of displaying bone fragment in joint,MPR and VR were better than X-ray plain film and axial images (P<0.05 ) .On the performance of displaying articular dislocation,MPR and VR were significantly better than X-ray plain film and axial images (P<0.01) .Conclusion: Although X-ray plain film is the first imaging examination of osteoarticular trauma, in order to avoid misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis, MSCT is recommended in cases with equivocaldiagnosis or in fear of intra-articular fractures.The postprocessing techniques of MSCT are not only useful to assess the details of intra-articular fracture and the injury of articular surface, but also helpful in guiding treatment .