Abstract: Objective To explore the most appropriate imaging examinations for solitary osteochondroma in primary hospitals.
Methods A retrospective evaluation was performed to analyze the imaging examinations (including X-ray, CT, and
ultrasound) of 62 patients undergoing surgeries for solitary osteochondroma in terms of the diagnostic results and
preoperative expenditure of the patients. Results X-ray and CT have a high diagnostic value for solitary osteochondroma, but
X-ray cannot display cartilage and lesions in surrounding soft tissues. Ultrasound is limited in diagnosis of solitary
osteochondroma, but performed well as CT in displaying cartilage and lesions in surrounding soft tissues. There was no
statistical difference between combined X-ray and ultrasound and CT in diagnosis of solitary osteochondroma (P>0.05), but the
former had a lower cost (P<0.05). Conclusion X-ray combined with ultrasound has almost comparable value with CT in the
diagnosis of solitary osteochondroma and is more practical for application in primary hospitals.