“Can an x-ray miss a broken hand?”
I am a 39 year old male. I wonder if an x-ray can miss a broken hand?
6 Answers
Yes, especially in the carpal bones (which are really in the wrist). A very commonly missed one is a scaphoid fracture, that usually occurs when one falls on an outstretched hand. If the patient's "anatomical snuff box" (area just above the thumb" is painful to palpation after such mechanism of injury, we still place a splint, even if initial the X-ray is negative. A repeat X-ray performed 1 week later would usually show the fracture that was not visible on the first X-ray.
Occasionally. More often than not the radiologist will miss the findings which are evident on the plain Xrays.
Yes. Rarely, but yes, CT won't.
Yes, it can. Also, keep in mind, the X-ray did not “miss” anything. The fracture, however, may not be visible to the radiologist or orthopedist with those particular images.
I hope that helps answer the question.
Harrison Solomon, M.D.
I hope that helps answer the question.
Harrison Solomon, M.D.
Yes.
In certain fractures, X-rays can initially be negative for a fracture. That is why if there is any question of what we call "an occult fracture," then we immobilize the injured region and have the patient come back in a week or two for re-evaluation and possibly repeat X-rays to make certain that there is not a fracture.
