Application of digital tomosynthesis in the imaging diagnostics of skeletal trauma

Objective To study the application of Digital Tomosynthesis (DTS) based on flat panel detector (FPD) in the detection of skeletal trauma. Methods From May, 2014 to May, 2015, 60 cases of skeletal trauma admitted to our hospital emergency all received the examination with Digital Radiography, who received the examination with Digital Tomography if the radiological diagnosis was not clear. The original data of every layer were calculated and processed. Two radiologists reviewed all the images and diagnosed in consensus. Results The good rate of DR images were 44.61% (29/65), while DTS images were 64.62% (42/65). Of the 60 patients who could not be diagnosed clearly by DR, 13 cases were diagnosed with subtle occult fracture by DTS technique, and 37 cases had no definite fracture, and the other 10 patients were still unable to determine whether or not they were fractured. Further examination was needed to confirm the diagnosis. In addition, the artifacts due to external fixation plaster and metal implants were significantly reduced in the DTS films from 5 patients after fracture surgery. Conclusion Digital Tomosynthesis (DTS) can not only improve the quality of images, but also improve the diagnostic rate of occult fractures in bone trauma examination, compared with conventional DR examination. And the artifacts of metal implants or other external fixators can be reduced significantly for patients after fracture surgery. Therefore, DTS has important application value in preoperative examination and postoperative reexamination of patients with bone trauma.