Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare ultrasonography with CT in the diagnosis of nasal bone fractures. Methods: 40 patients (9 female and 31 male) with mid-facial fractures, which were suspected nasal bone fractures, were included. All of the patients had mid-facial CT images. Ultrasonography with a 7.5 MHz transducer (Aloka 3500, Tokyo, Japan) was used to evaluate the nasal bone fractures. All of the sonograms were compared with CT findings for sensitivity, specificity and predictive values. A x 2 test was applied to the data to assess statistical significance. Results: CT diagnosed nasal bone fractures in 24 of the 40 patients (9 unilateral fractures and 15 bilateral fractures) while ultrasonography diagnosed the fractured bones in 23 patients (9 unilateral fractures and 14 bilateral fractures). Ultrasonography missed one fractured bone in a bilateral fractured case and a unilateral fracture was also missed (two false-negative results). The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography in assessing nasal bone fracture in comparison with CT were 94.9% and 100%, respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) and the negative predictive value (NPV) of ultrasonographic evaluation of the nasal bone fractures were 100% and 95.3%, respectively. The x 2 test did not show any significant difference between CT and ultrasonography in diagnosis of nasal bone fractures (P 5 0.819). Conclusion: Ultrasonography can be used as a first line of diagnostic imaging for evaluating nasal bone fractures, especially in children and pregnant women.

Objective: Traditional lead gonadal shields may not be effective to reduce radiation exposure, owing to poor compliance from radiographers and frequent repeated examinations due to obscured diagnostic areas. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of bismuth shields on image quality during paediatric pelvic radiography. Methods: We previously developed bismuth radioprotective gonadal shields for use in paediatric pelvic radiography at our institution. We retrospectively retrieved and reviewed radiographic images from an existing digital image library. All images were examined for the presence and accurate positioning of gonadal shields. The diagnostic image quality was assessed by an experienced evaluation panel with selected imaging criteria adapted from the European guidelines. Results: A bismuth shield was present in 154 of 198 radiographs of boys and in 170 of 182 radiographs of girls. In boys, the shield protected the testes area adequately in 92 images and partially in 51 images. The shield obscured the remaining 11 images, rendering image quality suboptimal according to the European guidelines. In girls, the shield protected the ovaries adequately in 169 images and partially in one image. No significant differences were seen between the quality of shielded and non-shielded images. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that these shields do not have a detrimental effect on image quality and can be recommended for routine use.

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