Bone & Joint Imaging
Bone and joint imaging helps doctors diagnose fractures, infections, deformities and growth problems of the skeleton. Depending on the question, the radiologist uses X-ray, ultrasound or CT, choosing the simplest examination that gives a reliable answer with the lowest radiation dose, which matters especially for children.
At YGOPH, these examinations support our paediatric surgery and orthopaedic teams and our physiotherapy service. They are used after falls and accidents, for children with a limp or a swollen joint, for babies with a suspected hip problem, and for the follow-up of fractures and bone infections, which are more common in children with sickle cell disease.
What does bone and joint imaging involve?
It is not a single test but a group of examinations. X-rays show bones clearly and remain the first examination for most injuries. Ultrasound shows cartilage, tendons, muscles and fluid in joints, and is ideal for the hips of young babies, whose bones are still largely cartilage. CT gives detailed three-dimensional images of complex fractures. Your doctor and the radiologist decide which examination is best for you or your child.
- Pain, swelling or deformity after a fall, sports injury or road accident
- A child who limps or refuses to use an arm or leg
- Suspected hip dysplasia in a newborn or young baby
- Suspected bone or joint infection, including in children with sickle cell disease
- Assessment of growth and bone age in children
- Follow-up of a fracture after a cast or surgery
Good to know
X-rays of bones and joints
Usually two views at different angles are taken to see the bone from all sides. For a suspected fracture in a child, the doctor may request an X-ray of the opposite side for comparison. A bone age X-ray of the left hand and wrist helps paediatricians assess growth. Standard X-rays are available 24 hours a day.
Hip ultrasound in babies
Developmental dysplasia of the hip is best detected early. Ultrasound can examine a baby's hip joints without radiation, generally until about four to six months of age, after which an X-ray becomes more useful. The baby lies on their side while the radiologist gently moves the leg; the examination takes about 15 minutes.
CT for complex injuries
When a fracture involves a joint, the spine, the pelvis or the face, CT shows the fragments in three dimensions and helps surgeons plan an operation. Because CT uses more radiation than an X-ray, it is reserved for situations where it clearly changes treatment, particularly in children.