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To determine the usefulness of bedside ultrasound for identifying hip effusions in children, investigators prospectively studied a convenience sample of 28 pediatric emergency department patients (median age, 7.5 years) who underwent hip ultrasound to evaluate effusion. In all but one patient, both hips were evaluated to identify bilateral effusions — a finding that would lower the clinical suspicion for septic arthritis. Three pediatric emergency physicians (EPs) who had minimal training in bedside ultrasound performed bedside ultrasound and rated their confidence in measurements and interpretation. Radiology department ultrasound was considered the gold standard.
For all hips, bedside ultrasound identified effusions with 80% sensitivity, 9…