Abstract
Screening with ultrasonography for musculoskeletal disorders such as developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) or sports injuries has been done because of its many benefits. For DDH, ultrasonography is useful because it can show the cartilaginous femoral head before ossification, which cannot be shown by X-ray film. Osteochondritis dissecans of the capitellum (OCD) is one of the severest disorders for young baseball players. Screening of OCD has been done for about 30 years in Tokushima. Conventionally, only physical examinations had been performed at the venue by the staff, and the players who had abnormal findings were recommended to consult a doctor. Recently, players undergo ultrasonography in addition to a physical examination. The detection rate of OCD has increased since the start of screening with ultrasonography because OCD shows few abnormal findings in physical examination at the early stage. On the other hand, some problems have been pointed out. The first problem is a difference in image quality between ultrasound devices, the second is how to deal with performing the screening outdoors, and the third is comparison with other radiographic images.
