Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) for Diagnosis and Treatment of Fractures in the Costal Cartilage

NCT07338617 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 286117
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 100
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The goal of this observational study is to learn if combining ultrasound and CT scans can better diagnose cartilage fractures in the ribs, and to understand how finding these injuries affects treatment decisions for patients with injuries to the Chest wall. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does using both ultrasound and CT scans find more costal cartilage fractures than CT scans alone?
• Does discovering costal cartilage fractures change how patients are treated, such as whether more patients receive surgery or if different fractures are repaired?
• How do costal cartilage fractures heal, and do they affect lung function, pain, or the risk of complications after surgery? Patients with cartilage injuries will be followed up at 1, 3, and 12 months after their injury. They will be checked for pain, instability, and healing using ultrasound and sometimes CT scans. The study will also assess lung function, quality of life, and pain levels.

Conditions

Rib Fracture; Cartilage Damage

Keywords

Rib Fractures; Fractures, Cartilage; Ultrasonography; Traumatology

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Sensitivity and specificity of POCUS for injuries in rib cartilage compared to CT.

  Index examination at patient inclusion.

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Number of participants where treatment strategy is changed upon identification of cartilage fractures not seen on CT.

  Assessment made at patient inclusion.

• Clinical healing of fractures in the rib cartilage

  1, 3 and 12 months after patient inclusion.

• Healing of cartilage fractures assessed with POCUS

  1, 3 and 12 months after inclusion

• Healing of cartilage fractures assessed with CT

  3 and 12 months after patient inclusion.

• Lung function with spirometry (predicted FVC)

  1, 3 and 12 months after patient inclusion.

Study Arms (1)

Study group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients treated at the Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital

You may qualify if:

• Trauma patients (≥18 years) treated at the Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, where CT has shown at least one recent injury to the chest wall.

You may not qualify if:

• Patients with injuries resulting from CPR, severe head injury, spinal injury, and neurological or musculoskeletal disease affecting chest mobility will be excluded.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Sahlgrenska University Hospital: lead

Related Publications (27)

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MeSH Terms

Conditions

Rib Fractures; Fractures, Cartilage

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Fractures, Bone; Wounds and Injuries; Thoracic Injuries

Study Officials

• Eva-Corina Caragounis, Ph. D., Ass. Prof.

  Institution of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University. Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Erik Westin, MD

CONTACT

+46313426161; erik.westin@vgregion.se

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 15, 2025
• First Posted: January 14, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2028
• Last Updated: April 28, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01