Ottawa Knee Rules

Does this knee injury require an x-ray?

Questions

5.Inability to weight bear (4 steps) both immediately and in the Emergency department?

About

The Ottawa Knee Rules were developed in an effort to be able to minimize the number of radiographs needed for traumatic knee injuries. The Rule was prospectively validated on over 1000 patients and had a sensitivity of 100% with a potential reduction in X-rays of 28%. The rule has been used successfully in emergency departments for over 10 years. A 2004 Meta-analysis including over 4000 patients showed the rule to have a sensitivity of 98.5% (CI 93-100%) with a Specificity of 49% (43-51%) with an implied potential 50% reduction in x-rays.

References

Stiell et al.

Prospective validation of a decision rule for the use of radiography in acute knee injuries.

JAMA: the Journal of the American Medical Association 1996 February 28, 275 (8): 611-5

Seaberg et al.

Multicenter comparison of two clinical decision rules for the use of radiography in acute, high-risk knee injuries.

Annals of Emergency Medicine 1998, 32 (1): 8-13

Bachmann et al.

Review: The Ottawa Knee Rule accurately rules out knee fractures and can substantially reduce the need for x-rays in patients with acute knee injuries. Ann Intern Med 140, p.121, 2004.

The Ottawa Knee Rules calculator is created by QxMD.

By using this site you acknowledge that you have read, understand, and agree to be bound by our terms of use and privacy policy. All content and tools are for educational use only, are not meant to be a substitute for professional advice and should not be used for medical diagnosis and/or medical treatment.

1. Age?

Download the app for offline access

0/5 completed