AJR. American journal of roentgenology
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Jul 1998
Traumatic elbow effusions in pediatric patients: are occult fractures the rule?
Elbow joint effusion with no fracture seen on radiographs of pediatric patients after acute trauma has become synonymous with occult fracture. This study evaluates the incidence of occult fractures in such cases as determined by findings on follow-up radiographs. ⋯ Joint effusion without visualized fracture on initial radiographs after trauma does not correlate with the presence of occult fracture in most cases (83%). Therefore, joint effusion as revealed by radiography should not be considered synonymous with occult fracture.