To evaluate the usefulness and the application of three dimensional digital rotational imaging (3D DRI) by the evaluation of fractures.

Sixteen patients with clinically diagnosed or suspicious fracture were involved in this study. The lesion or suspicious sites of all 16 cases were spines (n=7), pelvis (n=3) and so on (n=6; knee, elbow, ankle, wrist and foot). In all cases, conventional radiography, multiplanar 2D (slice thickness/pitch=3 or 5 mm/1:1)and volume rendering 3D reconstructed single detector helical CT (HiSpeed Advantage, GE Medical Systems, Milwaukee, WIS) scans and 3D DRI (Integris V-5000,Philips Medical Systems, The Netherlands) with multiplanar intersection and gray scaling as postprocessing technique were performed. 3D DRI was evaluated and compared with conventional radiography, multiplanar 2D CT and volume rendering 3D CT.

3D DRI provided more detail and additional information in 14 cases (88%), comparing with 2D and 3D CT scans. Two fractures were revealed only on 3D DRI other than conventional radiography and CT scans and one case was revealed on 2D CT and 3D DRI. In all cases, we could acquired more detail and additional information from 3D DRI than from 3D CT in the acquisition of 3D imaging. 3D DRI didn't change the classification of fracture in 12 of 13 cases (92%),which revealed the fracture on the conventional radiography or CT.

3D DRI can diagnose and evaluate the fracture rapidly and easily with anatomical and spatial resolution by acquisition of 3D imaging with postprocessing using DRI.