Musculoskeletal

How to describe a fracture, the most-requested X-rays and the Ottawa rules.

9 pages

Finding

• Arthritis on X-ray: osteoarthritis vs inflammatoryWear-and-tear arthritis builds extra bone at the joint edges; inflammatory arthritis eats into…
• Bone lesions: aggressive or notOn an X-ray a bone lesion with a sharp, tidy edge is usually harmless; a ragged edge, a lifted…
• Fractures in children: buckle, greenstick and the growth plate (Salter–Harris)Children's bones bend and buckle before they snap, and the growth plate is their weak spot, so…
• Imaging in osteomyelitisBone infection takes one to two weeks to show on an X-ray; MRI shows it within days, which is…

Choosing a study

• Cervical spine imaging in trauma: who needs itAfter an accident, simple bedside rules tell who can skip neck imaging; those who need it…

Reading

• Describing a fracture on X-rayA fracture is described in a fixed order (which bone, where, the shape of the break and how far…
• Hip X-ray: femoral neck fractureIn an older person who falls and cannot walk, the hip X-ray looks for a broken femoral neck; if…
• Shoulder and elbow X-rays: dislocation and the fat pad signTwo views at right angles show whether the shoulder is out of joint; at the elbow, a dark strip…
• Wrist and hand X-rays: distal radius and scaphoidThe wrist X-ray looks for a broken end of the radius and a broken scaphoid, the small bone that…

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← Radiology and diagnostic imaging

Educational content; it does not replace a radiologist's report and is not a clinical instruction. Each study is ordered on the patient's assessment and your institution's protocols.

Representative model, for educational purposes only.