Abstract
Aim. It is not infrequent to have to treat patients with ankle injuries. Fractures, however, are only found in 15-20% of such cases, so X-ray is often pointless not to say damaging. A study by Dr. Stiell has set out the so-called Ottawa rules to help the physician to suspect ankle fracture prior to X-ray. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether, in our Emergency Department experience, X-rays could have been avoided by applying the Ottawa rules. Methods. Over a period of about 15 months we examined 48 patients suffering from acute ankle injuries. All were given X-rays. Results. Thirteen patients responded positively to the Ottawa rules and in 11 of them a fracture was in fact encountered. The remaining 35 did not respond to the Ottawa rules and did not Present a fracture. Conclusion. Our experience leads us to believe that the Ottawa rules are a useful instrument for excluding ankle fracture before carrying out X-ray.
Translated title of the contribution | Ankle fracture diagnosis before X-ray using Ottawa rules |
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Original language | Italian |
Pages (from-to) | 121-123 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche |
Volume | 162 |
Issue number | 5 |
Publication status | Published - Oct 2003 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)