The Critical Role of X-ray Imaging in Emergency Departments for Rapid Diagnosis of Injuries, Fractures, and Trauma Cases

Abstract

Acute orthopedic injuries and limb trauma remain a prime cause for patients to visit emergency medical facilities worldwide. The acute limb injury remains a leading cause of disability, hospitalization, and use of emergency services. Derangements and significant deviations in joint anatomy are preferentially located at the articular surface, and as such, are often addressed through operative or interventional treatment strategies. Opportunity for orthopedic surgery often exists when a patient presents to an emergency department with acute pain secondary to an acute traumatic injury. Direct radiography is the cornerstone for initial workup. Information gathered from direct radiography greatly guides decision-making for surgical intervention. Detailed staging through focused magnetic resonance imaging continues to provide the gold standard for diagnosis and treatment planning in non-acute musculoskeletal cases. Where immediate treatment intervention is planned, staged imaging techniques including magnetic resonance imaging are often reserved for the latter stages of care. Rapid, accurate diagnosis remains essential, and the advantages and limitations of primary support imaging with direct radiography, CT, and MRI are discussed. (Ali & Waseem, 2023)