Use of Bedside Ultrasonography for Diagnosis of Nasal Fractures in Emergency Service

Aim: In our study, the reliability of bedside ultrasonography (USG) in fracture diagnosis was evaluated in the cases who applied to emergency service due to nasal traumas. Materials and Methods: Forty cases presented to the emergency department with nasal trauma between 01.01.2016 and 31.12.2017 were evaluated prospectively. The patients' age, gender, physical examination findings, trauma type, causes of trauma, X-ray and USG results were recorded in the study. The physical examination was performed by an emergency medicine specialist, and physical examination and X-ray were accepted as the gold standard for diagnosis. In patients with suspected nasal fracture, physical examination and X-ray results were compared with USG in fracture diagnosis. Results: The median age of the patients was 32.5 [interquartile range (IQR): 31], and 72.5% were male. There was no correlation between fracture presence with age or gender (p>0.05). The most common findings were swelling (62.5%) and ecchymosis (47.5%). 77.5% of patients had isolated trauma, and the most common cause of injury was falls (52.5%). There was no correlation between the presence of fracture with the cause of trauma and the type of trauma (p>0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of USG were identified as 88.5%, 78.6%, 88.5% and 78.6%, respectively Conclusion: Bedside USG can be preferred as the first choice in diagnosing nasal fracture in patients applying to the emergency service due to nasal trauma.