Posterior Fat Pad Sign
Other Names
- Posterior Fat Pad Sign
- Posterior Fat Pad Sign of the Elbow
Introduction
Posterior Fat Pad
- Visualization of a lucent crescent of fat located in the olecranon fossa
- Seen on the lateral view with the elbow flexed at a right 90 degrees
- Indicates a joint effusion
- Normally the posterior fat pad is not visible[2]
Interpretation
- In the setting of trauma, a posterior fat pad sign suggests an occult fracture
Pathology
Adult
Pediatrics
- Supracondylar Fracture
- Radial Neck Fracture
- Proximal Ulna Fracture
- Lateral Condyle Fracture of the Elbow
Evidence
Pediatric Elbow Fractures
- Skaggs et al[3]
- 76% of patients had an elbow fracture
Adult Elbow Fractures
- O'Dwyer et al[4]
- Sensitivity: 75-98%
- Specificity: 70-93%
See Also
References
- ↑ Image courtesy of radiologyassistant.nl
- ↑ B.J. Manaster, David A. May, David G. Disler, Chapter 6 - Elbow, Editor(s): B.J. Manaster, David A. May, David G. Disler, In The Requisites, Musculoskeletal Imaging (Fourth Edition), W.B. Saunders, 2013, Page 97, ISBN 9780323081771
- ↑ Skaggs, David L., and Raffy Mirzayan. "The posterior fat pad sign in association with occult fracture of the elbow in children." JBJS 81.10 (1999): 1429-33.
- ↑ O’Dwyer, Helena, et al. "The fat pad sign following elbow trauma in adults: its usefulness and reliability in suspecting occult fracture." Journal of computer assisted tomography 28.4 (2004): 562-565.