• Min Hee Lee, Jang Gyu Cha, Hyun Sook Hong, Jong Se Lee, Seong Jin Park, Sang Hyun Paik, and Hae Kyung Lee.
• Department of Radiology, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, 1174 Jungdong, Wonmi-gu, Gyeonggi-do 420-021, Korea.
• J Ultrasound Med. 2009 Jun 1; 28 (6): 717-23.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to compare the value of high-resolution ultrasonography (HRUS) and computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of nasal fractures.MethodsFacial CT and HRUS examinations performed on 140 consecutive patients (103 male and 37 female; age range, 2-74 years; mean, 26 years) with nasal trauma between October 2004 and April 2007 were retrospectively evaluated. Sonograms were obtained with a hockey stick probe (15-7 MHz linear array transducer). All patients also underwent facial CT and conventional radiography. The nasal fracture detection rates for HRUS, CT, and conventional radiography were compared with the clinical and surgical diagnosis. Nasal fractures were classified into high- and low-grade groups according to severity. They were also compared with the CT findings of all 280 lateral nasal bones and with HRUS findings as the reference standard.ResultsThe accuracy rates for HRUS, CT, and conventional radiography in detecting nasal fractures were 100%, 92.1%, and 78.6%, respectively. Compared with HRUS, CT revealed only 196 of 233 lateral nasal bone fractures; its accuracy was 80%. In high-grade fractures, the accuracy of CT was 87%, but it decreased to 68% in low-grade fractures.ConclusionsCompared with HRUS, CT had lower accuracy, especially in low-grade nasal fractures. Thus, HRUS is a reliable diagnostic tool for the evaluation of nasal fractures.

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