A Simulation Model for the Ultrasound Diagnosis of Long-Bone Fractures

Introduction: Ultrasound is emerging as a promising tool for the diagnosis of skeletal fractures, particularly in environments where conventional radiography may be absent or limited. This article presents a high-fidelity, practical simulation model for the ultrasound diagnosis of long-bone fractures and also examines the ability of physicians to diagnose the presence or absence of different fracture patterns using this model. Methods: The bony component of the model is a bare turkey leg bone that is mechanically fractured and housed in a shallow plastic container within a gelatin-based solution. Twenty physicians sonographically evaluated five models with different fracture patterns for the presence or absence of a fracture and were then queried regarding their opinion of this model as a teaching tool. Results: Physicians were able to correctly identify the presence or absence of a fractured model with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity across all fracture patterns and expressed agreement that this would be a useful teaching model. Conclusions: This high-fidelity, practical model is simple to construct, and the creation of a variety of fracture patterns is possible. Physicians found this to be a potentially useful teaching tool and correctly identified the presence or absence of different simulated fractures. Further studies may validate this simulation model as a teaching tool in the sonographic assessment of long bones for the presence of fractures and examine the potential clinical impact of this trainer. (Sim Healthcare 4:228-231, 2009)