Heliyon (Apr 2023)
Point-of-care ultrasound diagnosis of skull fracture in Chinese children 0–6 years old with scalp hematoma from minor head trauma: A preliminary prospective observational study
Abstract
Background: Previous studies have suggested that point-of-care ultrasound could help to evaluate and diagnose pediatric skull fracture for the closed scalp hematoma from blunt trauma. However, relevant data in Chinese children are missing, especially in children 0–6 years old. Objectives: Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of point-of-care ultrasound to diagnose skull fracture in children 0–6 years old with scalp hematoma in China. Methods: We performed a prospective observational study and screened children 0–6 years old with closed scalp hematoma and a Glasgow coma scale of 14–15 at Hospital in China. Enrolled children (N = 152) were first evaluated for skull fracture with point-of-care ultrasound by the emergency physician and then received a head computed tomography scan. Results: The point-of-care ultrasound examination and computed tomography scan revealed skull fracture in 13 (8.6%) and 12 (7.9%) children, respectively. The kappa test showed a satisfactory agreement between two examinations (P < 0.0001), with kappa = 0.87 (95% confidence interval, i.e., 95% CI, [0.69, 1.00]) and area under the curve = 0.95 (95% CI [0.86, 1], P < 0.0001). The point-of-care ultrasound examination had the sensitivity of 91.7% (95% CI [62.5%, 100%]), specificity of 98.6% (95% CI [94.6%, 100%]), positive predictive value of 84.6% (95% CI [56.5%, 96.9%]), negative predictive value of 99.2% (95% CI [95.6%, 100%]), and accuracy of 98.0% (95% CI [94.1%, 99.6%]). Conclusions: While our study is preliminary in nature, our findings may guide future larger studies in assessing the utility of point-of-care ultrasound examination in diagnosing skull fractures in children with scalp hematoma from minor head trauma.
