Nonfracture Patients Research Articles

Is there a difference in pelvic and femoral morphology in early periprosthetic femoral fracture in cementless short stem total hip arthroplasty via an anterolateral approach?

BackgroundThe pelvic and femoral morphology are associated with the occurrence of early periprosthetic femoral fractures (PFFs) in cementless total hip arthroplasty (THA). Differences exist depending on the performed approach and implanted stem design. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyze the pelvic and femoral morphology in cementless short stem THA via a minimally-invasive (MIS) anterolateral approach.MethodsA retrospective, single-center, multi-surgeon, comparative propensity-score matched study of a cohort of 1826 short stem THAs was conducted. A total of 39 PFFs within the first 90 days after surgery was matched on a 2:1 ratio to non-fracture patients. The morphology of the proximal femur was analyzed with canal flare index (CFI), canal-calcar ratio (CCR), canal-bone ratio (CBR), morphological cortical index (MCI), and femoral cortical index (CI). The pelvic morphology was analyzed with ilium–ischial ratio (IR), distance anterior superior iliac spine to the tip of the greater trochanter (AGT). Both groups were analyzed regarding several parameters for femoral and pelvic morphology in non-parametric testing and univariate regression analysis.ResultsA significantly higher AGT was detected in the fracture group (104.5 mm ± 18 versus 97.4 mm ± 9.8; p = 0.016). All other femoral and pelvic parameters did not differ between both groups, also when compared depending on the Vancouver type of the PFF.ConclusionsThe morphology of the proximal femur and the pelvis do not differ in several radiological parameters in patients sustaining a PFF in cementless short stem THA via an anterolateral approach compared with matched non-fracture group. The findings are controversial to other studies with different stem types and approaches. Future studies should focus on analyzing the influence of the pelvic geometry and the shape of the proximal femur in the occurrence of PFFs in different approaches with the same stem type and vice versa.Level of Evidence Level III case-controlled study

Diagnostic Value of Hounsfield Units for Osteoporotic Thoracolumbar Vertebral Non-Compression Fractures in Elderly Patients with Low-Energy Injuries.

Thoracolumbar vertebral fractures are common pathological fractures caused by osteoporosis in the elderly. These fractures are challenging to detect. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of Hounsfield units for osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral non-compression fractures in elderly patients with low-energy fractures. The retrospective case-control study included elderly patients diagnosed with osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fractures and non-fractured patients who underwent computed tomography examinations for lumbar vertebra issues during July 2017 and June 2020. This study included 216 patients with fractures (38 males and 178 females; average age: 77.28±8.68 years) and 124 patients without fractures (21 males and 103 females; average age: 75.35±9.57 years). The difference in Hounsfield units of the target (intermediate) vertebral body significantly differed between the two groups (54.74 ± 21.84 vs 5.86 ± 5.14; p<0.001). The ratios of Hounsfield units were also significantly different between the two groups (1.38 ± 1.60 vs 0.13 ± 0.23; p<0.001). The cut-off value for the difference in Hounsfield units to detect osteoporotic spine fractures was 25.35, with high sensitivity (98.5%), specificity (99.9%), and the area under the curve (AUC) (0.999, 95% CI: 0.999-1). The cut-off value for the odds ratio of Hounsfield units was 0.260, with high sensitivity (99.1%), specificity (92.7%), and AUC (0.970, 95% CI: 0.949-0.992). The difference between Hounsfield units and the odds ratio of Hounsfield units might help diagnose osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral non-compression fractures in elderly patients with low-energy fractures.

Impact of anemia on incidence of perioperative lower limb deep vein thrombosis in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty

To explore the impact of anemia on the incidence of perioperative lower limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of 1 916 non-fracture patients who underwent THA between September 2015 and December 2021, meeting the selection criteria. Among them, there were 811 male and 1 105 female patients, aged between 18 and 94 years with an average of 59.2 years. Among the patients, 213 were diagnosed with anemia, while 1 703 were not. Preoperative DVT was observed in 55 patients, while 1 861 patients did not have DVT preoperatively (of which 75 patients developed new-onset DVT postoperatively). Univariate analysis was performed on variables including age, gender, body mass index (BMI), diabetes, hypertension, history of tumors, history of thrombosis, history of smoking, revision surgery, preoperative D-dimer positivity (≥0.5 mg/L), presence of anemia, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, transfusion requirement, and pre- and post-operative levels of red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets. Furthermore, logistic regression was utilized for multivariate analysis to identify risk factors associated with DVT formation. Univariate analysis showed that age, gender, hypertension, revision surgery, preoperative levels of red blood cells, preoperative hemoglobin, preoperative D-dimer positivity, and anemia were influencing factors for preoperative DVT ( P<0.05). Further logistic regression analysis indicated that age (>60 years old), female, preoperative D-dimer positivity, and anemia were risk factors for preoperative DVT ( P<0.05). Univariate analysis also revealed that age, female, revision surgery, preoperative D-dimer positivity, anemia, transfusion requirement, postoperative level of red blood cells, and postoperative hemoglobin level were influencing factors for postoperative new-onset DVT ( P<0.05). Further logistic regression analysis indicated that age (>60 years old), female, and revision surgery were risk factors for postoperative new-onset DVT ( P<0.05). The incidence of anemia is higher among patients with preoperative DVT for THA, and anemia is an independent risk factor for preoperative DVT occurrence in THA. While anemia may not be an independent risk factor for THA postoperative new-onset DVT, the incidence of anemia is higher among patients with postoperative new-onset DVT.

New point-of-care calcaneal ultrasound densitometer (Osteosys BeeTLE) compared to standard dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) represents the gold standard for measuring bone mineral density (BMD). However, its size and bulkiness limit its use in mass screening. Portable and easily accessible instruments are more suitable for this purpose. We conducted a study to assess the repeatability, sensitivity, accuracy, and validation of a new ultrasound densitometer for the calcaneus (OsteoSys BeeTLe) compared to standard DXA. BMD (g/cm2) was measured at the femoral and lumbar spine levels using DXA (Discovery Acclaim (Hologic, Waltham, MA, USA) or Lunar Prodigy (GE Healthcare, Madison, WI, USA) devices). Bone Quality Index (BQI, a dimensionless measure of bone quality derived from measures of SOS [Speed Of Sound] and BUA [broadband ultrasound attenuation]) was measured with OsteoSys BeeTLe. The Bland–Altman test and simple linear regression were used to evaluate the association between values measured with the two instruments. Additionally, the ability of the T-score calculated with BeeTLe to identify patients with previous osteoporotic fractures was tested using ROC curves. A total of 201 patients (94.5% females) with a mean age of 62.1 ± 10.2 were included in the study. The BeeTLe instrument showed a coefficient of variation (CV, in 75 repeated measurements) of 1.21%, which was not statistically different from the CV of DXA (1.20%). We found a significant association between BQI and BMD at the femoral neck (r2 = 0.500, p < 0.0001), total femur (r2 = 0.545, p < 0.0001), and lumbar spine (r2 = 0.455, p < 0.0001). T-scores bias were 0.215 (SD 0.876), 0.021 (SD 0.889) and 0.523 (SD 0.092), for femoral neck, total hip and lumbar spine respectively. AUC for discriminating fracture and non-fractured patients were not significantly different with OsteoSys BeeTLe and standard DXA. In this preliminary study, BeeTLe, a new point-of-care ultrasound densitometer, demonstrated good repeatability and performance similar to DXA. Therefore, its use can be proposed in screening for osteoporosis.

Comparison of the predictive values of MRI-based vertebral bone quality scores for the determination of osteoporosis in different diseases.

The study aimed to examine the consistency of vertebral bone quality (VBQ) scores for assessing osteoporosis across different etiologies and explore the predictive value of various VBQ scores for fragility vertebral fractures. Patients with fragility fractures were matched by age and sex to patients with lumbar degeneration. VBQ scores were calculated in T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Differential analysis of bone quality was performed based on etiology. A total of 96 inpatients were retrospectively enrolled. VBQT1 scores were only sensitive to osteoporotic bone in degenerative group (p < 0.01), failing to identify osteoporosis in fractured group (p > 0.05). For the degenerative group, the area under the curve (AUC) using the VBQT1 scores to differentiate osteoporosis was 0.72. After controlling the confounding variables, only VBQT2 scores were significantly higher in fractured group than degenerative group, with a greater AUC of 0.82 predicting fragility fractures. VBQT1 scores moderately correlated with femoral neck T-scores in degenerative group (r = -0.45, p < 0.01) but not in fractured group (r = -0.24, p > 0.05). VBQT2 scores were not associated with femoral neck T-scores (p > 0.05). This study is the first to evaluate the effectiveness of VBQs scores in assessing osteoporosis post-fracture. Only non-fractured patients' bone quality is fully susceptible to VBQT1 scores. While VBQT1 scores may not correlate with fragility fractures, VBQT2 scores present a viable alternative.

An analysis of the prevalence and risk factors of deep vein thrombosis in non-fracture patients awaiting total hip arthroplasty: a retrospective study of 1244 cases.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) has been one of the most dangerous complications in total hip arthroplasty (THA). If a patient's pre-surgical DVT is overlooked, it can easily be mistaken for a post-operative thrombus and lead to an increased risk of DVT during and after surgery. This retrospective study was to explore the incidence and associated risk factors of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in non-fracture patients before total hip arthroplasty (THA). From September 2015 to September 2020, 1242 patients admitted for THA were enrolled with 1120 patients (90.2%) for primary THA and 122 patients (9.8%) for revision THA. An experienced sonographer performed a bedside ultrasound to detect DVT in bilateral lower limbs preoperatively. Univariate and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the independent risk factors. 38 patients (3.1%) were detected with preoperative DVT. Univariate analysis showed that age (P < 0.001), D-dimer level (P = 0.002), female patients (P = 0.016), revision THA (P < 0.001), Barthel Index score (P = 0.010) were significantly associated with preoperative DVT. In subgroup comparison, the incidence of DVT increased with age significantly (P < 0.001) and D-dimer level (P < 0.001). In logistic regression analysis, age ≥ 75years old (odds ratio [OR] 3.678, 95% CI [2.197-18.721], P < 0.001), gender (OR 2.709, 95% CI [1.244-5.896], P = 0.012), higher D-dimer ≥ 0.5mg/l (OR 6.841, 95% CI [2.197-18.721], P < 0.001) and revision THA (OR 2.240, 95% CI [1.143-5.372], P = 0.05) were confirmed as the independent risk factors. The incidence of preoperative DVT in non-fracture patients was 3.1%, with 2.4% in primary THA and 9.0% in revision THA. Age ≥ 75years old, female, D-dimer ≥ 0.5mg/l, and revision THA were independent risk factors. When evaluating the risk factors associated with thrombus formation preoperatively, it is important to take these into account before surgery.

Outcomes of conservative treatment of acromial and scapular spine stress fracture post reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Acromial and scapular spine stress fractures are common complications post reverse shoulder arthroplasty. A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the clinical outcomes of conservatively treated acromial and scapular spine stress fractures post reverse shoulder arthroplasty in comparison to nonfracture control. Embase, MEDLINE, and Web of Science were searched on September 9, 2022, using various terms related to fracture, acromion, scapula, and reverse shoulder arthroplasty. Meta-analysis using a random effects model was performed on common outcome scores. Risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tools for case-controlled studies. Sensitivity analysis was performed for imputed standard deviations and studies with <20 participants. Thirteen studies with a total of 339 fracture and 3142 control patients were included in the systematic review. Meta-analysis was performed on 12 studies assessing active forward flexion, abduction, external rotation, Constant-Murley score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form, pain score, Simple Shoulder Test, and Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation.Fracture patients experienced significantly poorer functional outcome compared with control patients when the fractures were managed conservatively. Levy III fractures tend to experience worse outcomes. Pain score did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference between the fracture and nonfracture cohort. Currently, literature regarding surgical management is lacking, partially because of a dearth of high-quality literature but also hindered by a lack of standardized techniques. This review was limited by inclusion of studies of low evidence, small sample sizes, and inconsistency in outcome measurement and follow-up period. Overall, patients with acromial and scapular spine stress fractures treated conservatively are expected to have reduced shoulder function compared to nonfracture patients, with the spine of scapula fracture patients suffering the poorest outcomes. Future studies should aim to use the same sets of outcomes parameters to assess the patients at fixed time intervals and report outcomes stratified by Levy classification. This will enable interinstitutional collaboration and pooling of results.

Effect of immunology biomarkers associated with hip fracture and fracture risk in older adults

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease that can increase the risk of fractures, leading to adverse health and socioeconomic consequences. However, current clinical methods have limitations in accurately estimating fracture risk, particularly in older adults. Thus, new technologies are necessary to improve the accuracy of fracture risk estimation. In this observational study, we aimed to explore the association between serum cytokines and hip fracture status in older adults, and their associations with fracture risk using the FRAX reference tool. We investigated the use of a proximity extension assay (PEA) with Olink. We compared the characteristics of the population, functional status and detailed body composition (determined using densitometry) between groups. We enrolled 40 participants, including 20 with hip fracture and 20 without fracture, and studied 46 cytokines in their serum. After conducting a score plot and two unpaired t-tests using the Benjamini-Hochberg method, we found that Interleukin 6 (IL-6), Lymphotoxin-alpha (LT-α), Fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (FLT3LG), Colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF1), and Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 7 (CCL7) were significantly different between fracture and non-fracture patients (p < 0.05). IL-6 had a moderate correlation with FRAX (R2 = 0.409, p < 0.001), while CSF1 and CCL7 had weak correlations with FRAX. LT-α and FLT3LG exhibited a negative correlation with the risk of fracture. Our results suggest that targeted proteomic tools have the capability to identify differentially regulated proteins and may serve as potential markers for estimating fracture risk. However, longitudinal studies will be necessary to validate these results and determine the temporal patterns of changes in cytokine profiles.

Serum phosphate is associated with increased risk of bone fragility fractures in haemodialysis patients.

Bone fragility fractures are associated with high morbidity and mortality. This study analysed the association between the current biochemical parameters of chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorders (CKD-MBD) and bone fragility fractures in the COSMOS (Current management Of Secondary hyperparathyroidism: a Multicentre Observational Study) project. COSMOS is a 3-year, multicentre, open cohort, prospective, observational study carried out in 6797 haemodialysis patients (227 centres from 20 European countries). The association of bone fragility fractures (outcome) with serum calcium, phosphate and parathyroid hormone (PTH) (exposure), was assessed using standard Cox proportional hazards regression and Cox proportional hazards regression for recurrent events. Additional analyses were performed considering all-cause mortality as a competitive event for bone fragility fracture occurrence. Multivariable models were used in all strategies, with the fully adjusted model including a total of 24 variables. During a median follow-up of 24months, 252 (4%) patients experienced at least one bone fragility fracture (incident bone fragility fracture rate 28.5 per 1000 patient-years). In the fractured and non-fractured patients, the percentage of men was 43.7% and 61.4%, mean age 68.1 and 63.8years and a haemodialysis vintage of 55.9 and 38.3months, respectively. Baseline serum phosphate >6.1mg/dL (reference value 4.3-6.1mg/dL) was significantly associated with a higher bone fragility fracture risk in both regression models {hazard ratio (HR) 1.53 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-2.13] and HR 1.44 (95% CI 1.02-2.05)}. The significant association persisted after competitive risk analysis [subHR 1.42 (95% CI 1.02-1.98)] but the finding was not confirmed when serum phosphate was considered as a continuous variable. Baseline serum calcium showed no association with bone fragility fracture risk in any regression model. Baseline serum PTH >800pg/mL was significantly associated with a higher bone fragility fracture risk in both regression models, but the association disappeared after a competitive risk analysis. Hyperphosphatemia was independently and consistently associated with an increased bone fracture risk, suggesting serum phosphate could be a novel risk factor for bone fractures in haemodialysis patients.

Effect of Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning on Prediction of Hip Fracture Risk: Systematic Review.

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a preferred modality for screening or diagnosis of osteoporosis and can predict the risk of hip fracture. However, the DXA test is difficult to implement easily in some developing countries, and fractures have been observed before patients underwent DXA. The purpose of this systematic review is to search for studies that predict the risk of hip fracture using artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning, organize the results of each study, and analyze the usefulness of this technology. The PubMed, OVID Medline, Cochrane Collaboration Library, Web of Science, EMBASE, and AHRQ databases were searched including "hip fractures" AND "artificial intelligence". A total of 7 studies are included in this study. The total number of subjects included in the 7 studies was 330,099. There were 3 studies that included only women, and 4 studies included both men and women. One study conducted AI training after 1:1 matching between fractured and non-fractured patients. The area under the curve of AI prediction model for hip fracture risk was 0.39 to 0.96. The accuracy of AI prediction model for hip fracture risk was 70.26% to 90%. We believe that predicting the risk of hip fracture by the AI model will help select patients with high fracture risk among osteoporosis patients. However, to apply the AI model to the prediction of hip fracture risk in clinical situations, it is necessary to identify the characteristics of the dataset and AI model and use it after performing appropriate validation.

Vitamin D serum levels are higher in patients referring with osteoporotic fractures compared to non-fractured patients: a controlled clinical trial

Vitamin D serum levels are higher in patients referring with osteoporotic fractures compared to non-fractured patients: a controlled clinical trial

Hounsfield units predicts the occurrence but not the patterns of proximal humerus fracture in the elderly patients

BackgroundIncreased incidence of fragility fractures of the proximal humerus has been reported. Proximal humerus Hounsfield unit (HU) measurements based on computed tomography (CT) scans of the shoulder can be used to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD). It is unknown whether HU values can predict the risk of proximal humerus osteoporotic fracture and /or fracture patterns. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to identify whether the HU value is associated with proximal humeral osteoporotic fracture risk, and whether or not it has an impact on the complexity of the fracture.MethodsWe identified 60 + years old patients’ CT scans between 2019 and 2021 according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or lack of a fracture in the proximal humerus, meanwhile, patients with fractures were stratified into simple and comminuted fractures based on the Neer classification. HU values were calculated within the proximal humerus and compared between groups using the Student t-test, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the ability of HU values to predict fracture.ResultsA total of 138 patients with proximal humerus fracture (PHF) including 62 simple PHFs and 76 complex PHFs and 138 non-fracture patients were enrolled in the study. The HU values decreased as age increased among all patients. Both male and female patients with PHF had significantly lower HU values compared with non-fracture patients, the area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curve for males and females was 0.8 and 0.723 respectively. Nevertheless, no significant differences were found between simple and complex fractures of the proximal humerus in the HU values.ConclusionDecreasing HU values on CT may be an early warning sign of fracture potential, however, it was not a predictive factor for comminuted fracture of the proximal humerus.

Is Convolutional Neural Network Accurate for Automatic Detection of Zygomatic Fractures on Computed Tomography?

Zygomatic fractures involve complex anatomical structures of the mid-face and the diagnosis can be challenging and labor-consuming. This research is aimed to evaluate the performance of an automatic algorithm for the detection of zygomatic fractures based on convolutional neural network (CNN) on spiral computed tomography (CT). We designed a cross-sectional retrospective diagnostic trial study. Clinical records and CT scans of patients with zygomatic fractures were reviewed. The sample consisted of two types of patients with different zygomatic fractures statuses (positive or negative) in Peking University School of Stomatology from 2013 to 2019. All CT samples were randomly divided into three groups at a ratio of 6:2:2 as training set, validation set, and test set, respectively. All CT scans were viewed and annotated by three experienced maxillofacial surgeons, serving as the gold standard. The algorithm consisted of two modules as follows: (1) segmentation of the zygomatic region of CT based on U-Net, a type of CNN model; (2) detection of fractures based on Deep Residual Network 34(ResNet34). The region segmentation model was used first to detect and extract the zygomatic region, then the detection model was used to detect the fracture status. The Dice coefficient was used to evaluate the performance of the segmentation algorithm. The sensitivity and specificity were used to assess the performance of the detection model. The covariates included age, gender, duration of injury, and the etiology of fractures. A total of 379 patients with an average age of 35.43±12.74years were included in the study. There were 203 nonfracture patients and 176 fracture patients with 220 sites of zygomatic fractures (44 patients underwent bilateral fractures). The Dice coefficientof zygomatic region detection model and gold standard verified by manual labeling were 0.9337 (coronal plane) and 0.9269 (sagittal plane), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the fracture detection model were 100% (p＞.05). The performance of the algorithm based on CNNs was not statistically different from the gold standard (manual diagnosis) for zygomatic fracture detection in order for the algorithm to be applied clinically.

Threshold based on bone mineral density for therapeutic decision-making in postmenopausal women and men over 50 years old under glucocorticoid therapy

Introduction and aimT-score bone mineral density (BMD) thresholds may influence guidance for treatment in patients under glucocorticoid (GC) therapy. Different BMD thresholds have been described but there is no international consensus. The aim of this study was to find a threshold to help in treatment decision-making in the population under GC therapy. MethodsA working group representing three scientific societies from Argentina was convened. The first team was formed by specialists with expertise in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO) who voted according to summary of evidence. The second team was constituted by a methodology group who coordinated and supervised each stage. We conducted two systematic reviews to synthesize the evidence. The first included trials of drugs used in GIO to analyze the BMD cut-off used as inclusion criteria. In the second, we analyzed the evidence regarding the densitometric thresholds to discriminate between fractured and non-fractured patients under GC treatment. ResultsIn the first review, 31 articles were included for qualitative synthesis and more than 90% of the trials included patients regardless of their densitometric T-score or range of osteopenia. In the second review, 4 articles were included and more than 80% of the T-scores were in the range −1.6 to −2.0. The summary of findings was analyzed and put to a vote. ConclusionsWith more than 80% agreement of the voting expert panel, a T-score≤−1.7 was considered the most appropriate for treatment in postmenopausal women and men over 50 years of age under GC therapy. This study could help in treatment decision-making in patients under GC therapy without fractures but other fracture risk factors should certainly be considered.

Study of the link between hemotopoietic and skeletal systems in patients attending a referral center for osteoporosis

PurposeTo investigate the link between hematopoietic and skeletal tissues in patients with fragility fractures.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the medical records of women older than 40 years who attended the Bone Disease Unit of “Sapienza” University of Rome for their first visit for osteoporosis from January 2020 to June 2022.ResultsFragility fractures were found in 61.8% of the sample. In particular, vertebral fractures in 35.5%, femoral fractures in 6.3%, Colles fractures in 16.5% and non-vertebral non-hip in 42.5%. Fractured patients were significantly older compared to non-fractured, had lower mean values of lumbar spine (p = 0.01), and femoral neck BMD (p = 0.007). A red blood cell distribution width (RDW) value higher than 15% was observed four times more in those with fractures compared to non-fractured patients (8.9% vs 2%, p = 0.01) and was associated with vertebral fracture after adjusting for age, BMI, menopause, nutritional status, smoking, osteoporosis and anemia (OR = 4.1, 95% CI 1.6–11.4, p = 0.003). Hematocrit was negatively associated with hip fracture also adjusting for age, BMI, menopause, nutritional status, smoking, osteoporosis (p = 0.025).ConclusionOur study demonstrates that RDW values were significantly associated with vertebral fracture and hematocrit with hip fracture. Since both parameters are included in the initial evaluation of patients with suspected bone fragility, our results should push doctors to look at these values with no incremental cost for national health services.

Fractures in CKD Patients—Risk Analysis in RRT Lombardy Patients

The increase in the number of patients with CKD starting dialysis treatment has become a major health problem in recent years. Osteoporosis is a typical feature of advanced age, which, in the dialysis population, is almost always accompanied by uremic osteodystrophy (CKD-MBD). These two factors are involved in the pathogenesis of fractures, which represent an important risk factor for the outcome of patients. The real consistency of fractures in CKD patients on kidney replacement therapy (KRT) requiring hospitalization in the Lombardy region (over 9,000,000 inhabitants) was analyzed using data from the regional administrative databases in the years 2011–2012. Among 8109 prevalent patients, 251 (45.8% women), with fractures after 1 January 2011, entered the analysis. A follow-up of two years (2011–2012) was considered to evaluate the incidence of more frequent fractures (femur, pelvis, hip, and spine) using ICD-9-CM codes. The most frequent sites of fractures were the femur (68.5%), hip and pelvis (47.4%), and vertebrae (12%). The patients on hemodialysis (HD) had more events than PD (3.3% vs. 1.4%; p = 0.03), while patients undergoing kidney transplantation (KTx) had a significantly lower percentage of fractures (0.6% vs. 3.3%; p &lt; 0.001). Observed mortality was very high: the estimated gross mortality rate for any cause was 25.9% at 90 days and 34.7% at 180 days. Diabetes, peripheral vasculopathy, and heart failure were associated with a numerical increase in fractures, although this was not significant. Proton pump inhibitor drugs (PPI), vitamin K antagonists, and diphosphonates were more frequently associated with fracture occurrence. The average total cost of fractured patients was 11.4% higher than that of non-fractured patients. On multivariate analysis, age &gt;65 years, female gender, PPI therapy, and cerebrovascular disease were found to be strongly associated with fractures in dialysis patients, whereas undergoing renal transplantation presented a reduced risk.

Assessment of DXA derived bone quality indexes and bone geometry parameters in early breast cancer patients: A single center cross-sectional study

BackgroundBone mineral density (BMD) lacks sensitivity in individual fracture risk assessment in early breast cancer (EBC) patients treated with aromatase inhibitors (AIs). New dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) based risk factors are needed. MethodsTrabecular bone score (TBS), bone strain index (BSI) and DXA parameters of bone geometry were evaluated in postmenopausal women diagnosed with EBC. The aim was to explore their association with morphometric vertebral fractures (VFs). Subjects were categorized in 3 groups in order to evaluate the impact of AIs and denosumab on bone geometry: AI-naive, AI-treated minus (AIDen-) or plus (AIDen+) denosumab. ResultsA total of 610 EBC patients entered the study: 305 were AI-naive, 187 AIDen-, and 118 AIDen+. In the AI-naive group, the presence of VFs was associated with lower total hip BMD and T-score and higher femoral BSI. As regards as bone geometry parameters, AI-naive fractured patients reported a significant increase in femoral narrow neck (NN) endocortical width, femoral NN subperiosteal width, intertrochanteric buckling ratio (BR), intertrochanteric endocortical width, femoral shaft (FS) BR and endocortical width, as compared to non-fractured patients. Intertrochanteric BR and intertrochanteric cortical thickness significantly increased in the presence of VFs in AIDen- patients, not in AIDen+ ones. An increase in cross-sectional area and cross-sectional moment of inertia, both intertrochanteric and at FS, significantly correlated with VFs only in AIDen+. No association with VFs was found for either lumbar BSI or TBS in all groups. ConclusionsBone geometry parameters are variably associated with VFs in EBC patients, either AI-naive or AI treated in combination with denosumab. These data suggest a tailored choice of fracture risk parameters in the 3 subgroups of EBC patients.

Bi-Directional Axial Transmission measurements applied in a clinical environment.

Accurate measurement of cortical bone parameters may improve fracture risk assessment and help clinicians on the best treatment strategy. Patients at risk of fracture are currently detected using the current X-Ray gold standard DXA (Dual XRay Absorptiometry). Different alternatives, such as 3D X-Rays, Magnetic Resonance Imaging or Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) devices, have been proposed, the latter having advantages of being portable and sensitive to mechanical and geometrical properties. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the performance of a Bi-Directional Axial Transmission (BDAT) device used by trained operators in a clinical environment with older subjects. The device, positioned at one-third distal radius, provides two velocities: VFAS (first arriving signal) and VA0 (first anti-symmetrical guided mode). Moreover, two parameters are obtained from an inverse approach: Ct.Th (cortical thickness) and Ct.Po (cortical porosity), along with their ratio Ct.Po/Ct.Th. The areal bone mineral density (aBMD) was obtained using DXA at the femur and spine. One hundred and six patients (81 women, 25 men) from Marien Hospital and St. Anna Hospital (Herne, Germany) were included in this study. Age ranged from 41 to 95 years, while body mass index (BMI) ranged from 16 to 47 kg.m-2. Three groups were considered: 79 non-fractured patients (NF, 75±13years), 27 with non-traumatic fractures (F, 80±9years) including 14 patients with non-vertebral fractures (NVF, 84±7years). Weak to moderate significant Spearman correlations (R ranging from 0.23 to 0.53, p < 0.05) were found between ultrasound parameters and age, BMI. Using multivariate Partial Least Square discrimination analyses with Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation (PLS-LOOCV), we found the combination of VFAS and the ratio Ct.Po/Ct.Th to be predictive for all non traumatic fractures (F) with the odds ratio (OR) equals to 2.5 [1.6-3.4] and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) equal to 0.63 [0.62-0.65]. For the group NVF, combination of four parameters VA0. Ct.Th, Ct.Po and Ct.Po/Ct.Po, along with age provides a discrimination model with OR and AUC equals to 7.5 [6.0-9.1] and 0.75 [0.73-0.76]. When restricted to a smaller population (87 patients) common to both BDAT and DXA, BDAT ORs and AUCs are comparable or slightly higher to values obtained with DXA. The fracture risk assessment by BDAT method in older patients, in a clinical setting, suggests the benefit of the affordable and transportable device for the routine use.

Revision Rates and Associated Risk Factors after Shoulder Arthroplasty.

This study aims at answering the following questions (1) How high is the revision rate after osteoarthritis-, and rotator cuff-related compared to proximal humerus fracture (PHF)-related shoulder arthroplasty? (2) What are the associated risk factors for a revision after shoulder arthroplasty? Shoulder arthroplasty procedures occurring between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2019 were identified from the Medicare database. First, revision rates for PHF patients and age- and sex-matched non-fracture patients, grouped into osteoarthritis-related and rotator cuff-related arthroplasty, were compared. Second, revision rates between total shoulder arthroplasty and hemiarthroplasty after PHF were compared. Semiparametric Cox regression was applied, incorporating 23 demographic, clinical, and socioeconomic covariates, to investigate risk factors for revision surgery. Between the considered time period from 2009 through 2019, a total number of 47,979 PHFs was identified. A shoulder arthroplasty procedure was performed in n = 2639 (5.5%, 95%CI: 4.8-6.1) of the cases. The five-year survivorship of the implant was 96.3 (95%CI: 93.8-97.9) after hemiarthroplasty and 96.1% (05%CI: 94.2-97.3) after total shoulder arthroplasty. To compare the revision rates, n = 14,775 patients with osteoarthritis and n = 4268 patients with rotator cuff arthropathy, who received a shoulder arthroplasty, served as a non-fracture control group. Patients receiving a rotator cuff-related arthroplasty were more likely to require a revision compared to patients treated for osteoarthritis (HR: 1.27, 95%CI: 1.04-1.44, p = 0.018). Identified significant risk factors for revision surgery after shoulder arthroplasty included age ≤ 75 years, male sex, and osteoporosis. High implant survival was found for hemiarthroplasty and total shoulder arthroplasty for the treatment of PHF in elderly patients. The risk of revision surgery was elevated in patients receiving a rotator cuff-related arthroplasty as well as in patients with osteoporosis, male patients and patients older than 75 years.

Reproducibility and Accuracy of the Radiofrequency Echographic Multi-Spectrometry for Femoral Mineral Density Estimation and Discriminative Power of the Femoral Fragility Score in Patients with Primary and Disuse-Related Osteoporosis.

We aimed to investigate the reproducibility and accuracy of Radiofrequency Echographic Multi-Spectrometry (REMS) for femoral BMD estimation and the reproducibility and discriminative power of the REMS-derived femoral fragility score. 175 patients with primary and disuse-related osteoporosis were recruited: one femoral Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scan and two femoral REMS scans were acquired. No significant test—retest differences were observed for all REMS-derived variables. The diagnostic concordance between DXA and REMS was 63% (Cohen’s kappa = 0.31) in patients with primary osteoporosis and 13% (Cohen’s kappa: −0.04) in patients with disuse-related osteoporosis. No significant difference was observed between REMS and DXA for either femoral neck BMD (mean difference between REMS and DXA: −0.015 g/cm2) or total femur BMD (mean difference: −0.004 g/cm2) in patients with primary osteoporosis. Significant differences between the two techniques were observed in patients with disuse-related osteoporosis (femoral neck BMD difference: 0.136 g/cm2; total femur BMD difference: 0.236 g/cm2). Statistically significant differences in the fragility score were obtained between the fractured and non-fractured patients for both populations. In conclusion, REMS showed excellent test-retest reproducibility, but the diagnostic concordance between DXA and REMS was between minimal and poor. Further studies are required to improve the REMS—derived estimation of femoral BMD.