CT has become the main imaging modality for nasal bone fractures, and CT is increasingly used even for minor nasal bruising in young and pediatrics patients, increasing their risk of excessive radiation exposure. There are numerous reports of the usefulness of ultrasonography for the diagnosis of nasal fractures, because of the simplicity of this diagnostic tool and avoidance of radiation exposure. In this study, we compared the usefulness of ultrasonography and CT/3D-CT in 13 young and pediatric patients who presented with nasal bruising. The children ranged in age from 5 years 10 months to 17 years 5 months. There were 9 boys and 4 girls; 10 patients had nasal fractures and there were no cases in which nasal fractures could not be confirmed by ultrasonography; 6 cases were judged as requiring repositioning based on the external appearance. The size of the deviated bone and the deviation distance in the cases that required repositioning were larger than those in the cases that did not require repositioning. 3D-CT was the most useful imaging test for nasal fractures. Ultrasonography can be used as a screening tool for young and pediatric patients to avoid radiation exposure. However, it appears to be difficult to make a decision on the need for repositioning using ultrasonography alone.
