Diagnostic value of portable handheld digital radiography in a beagle model of thoracic trauma.

Purpose: To assess the diagnostic value of portable handheld digital radiography (DR) in a beagle model of thoracic trauma.

Methods: Twenty-seven beagles were randomly assigned to three experimental groups: the pneumothorax group (induced by intrapleural air injection at 50 mL/kg), the pleural effusion group (induced by intrapleural normal saline injection at 30 mL/kg), and the rib fracture group (created by surgical transection of the 6^th rib). All animals underwent three imaging examinations in a randomized order: conventional chest X-ray, mobile DR, and portable handheld DR. Detection rates (using surgical outcomes as the gold standard), image quality, and total examination time (from positioning to image acquisition) were compared among the three modalities.

Results: A total of 21 animals completed the full protocol (7 per group). There was no significant difference in detection rates among the three examination methods (P > 0.050). The image quality of both mobile DR and portable handheld DR was significantly superior to that of conventional chest X-ray (P = 0.021). Examination times for mobile DR (8.37 ± 0.80 minutes) and portable handheld DR (7.07 ± 0.67 minutes) were significantly shorter than for conventional chest X-ray (10.40 ± 0.96 minutes) (P < 0.001). Furthermore, portable handheld DR had a significantly shorter examination time than mobile DR (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Portable handheld DR provides detection rates comparable with mobile DR and conventional chest X-ray for thoracic trauma, with the advantages of superior image quality over conventional chest X-ray and the shortest examination time. Its user-friendly operation and high portability make it a valuable tool for emergency imaging in austere environments.

Clinical significance: Based on diagnostic results in a beagle model of thoracic trauma, this study demonstrates that portable handheld DR can provide reliable methodological support for real-time imaging and rapid triage in harsh environments such as field and post-disaster settings.