Evaluation of trabecular bone score in patients with a distal radius fracture

Factors Associated with Re-Displacement after Nonsurgical Treatment of Distal Radius Fractures in Adults: A Retrospective Study

OBJECTIVE

Closed reduction combined with external fixation is a frequently utilized approach for treating distal radial fractures in adults. Nonetheless, the potential for re-displacement following external fixation remains. Analyzing the factors influencing re-displacement after nonsurgical treatment of distal radial fractures in adults is vital for preventing re-displacement and making prognostic assessments.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on 884 patients who underwent nonsurgical treatment for distal radius fractures in the reduction room of the Orthopedics and Traumatology Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine at Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, China, between July 2019 and December 2022. Patients were categorized into two groups, namely displaced and nondisplaced, based on radiographic outcomes. Factors affecting fracture re-displacement were examined, including sex, age, side, AO/OTA type, external fixation, and radiographic outcomes at pre-reduction and immediate reduction. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the risk factors for fracture re-displacement, and ROC curves were constructed.

RESULTS

Among the 884 patients, 563 (63.69%) experienced re-displacement after fracture reduction. There were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) between the two groups in terms of gender, external fixation method, and palmar tilt angle at pre-reduction and immediate reduction, while significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in age, side, AO/OTA type, and radial inclination, radial length, and radiographic outcomes of ulnar variance at pre-reduction and immediate reduction. Multifactorial logistic regression analysis revealed that age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.027, p < 0.001), AO/OTA type (OR = 2.327, p = 0.005), ulnar variance at pre-reduction (OR = 1.142, p = 0.048), and ulnar variance at immediate reduction (OR = 1.685, p < 0.001) were significant factors (p < 0.05) associated with re-displacement following nonoperative treatment of adult distal radius fractures. For patients aged ≥60 years, the amount of missing radiographic outcomes was positively correlated with age. The receiver operating characteristic curve demonstrated that age ≥65.5 years, ulnar variance >3.26 mm at pre-reduction, and ulnar variance >2.055 mm at immediate reduction were high-risk factors for fracture re-displacement.

CONCLUSIONS

Nonsurgical treatment of distal radius fractures exhibits a higher rate of re-displacement. Age, AO/OTA type, pre-reduction, and immediate reduction ulnar variance are key factors predicting fracture re-displacement.

The risk factors for subsequent fractures after distal radius fracture

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for subsequent fractures after distal radius fracture (DRF).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 705 patients with DRF who performed dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry within six months before or after the DRF and followed more than 12 months. We identified patients with subsequent fractures and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted with demographic information, underlying disease status, and bone fragility parameters at the time of DRF to evaluate the risk factors for subsequent fractures.

RESULTS

Subsequent fractures occurred in 56 patients (7.9% of 705 patients) with 65 fractures at a mean time of 33.5 months after DRF. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, older age (OR 1.032; 95% CI, 1.001-1.064, p = 0.044), diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR 2.663; 95% CI, 1.429-4.963, p = 0.002) and previous fracture history (OR 1.917; 95% CI, 1.019-3.607, p = 0.043), and low total hip BMD (OR 1.410; 95% CI, 1.083-1.836, p = 0.011) were significant risk factors for the occurrence of subsequent fractures.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that older age, DM, previous fracture history and low hip BMD are the risk factors for subsequent fractures after DRF. Active glycemic control would have a role in patients with DM and a more aggressive treat-to-target approach may be necessary for patients with low BMDs to prevent subsequent fractures after DRF.

Comparison of bone mineral density and vertebral fracture assessment in postmenopausal women with and without distal radius fractures

Objectives

To compare bone mineral density (BMD) in Thai postmenopausal women with and without distal radius fracture, and to investigate the role of vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) in diagnosing osteoporosis after distal radius fracture.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Thai postmenopausal women with and without distal radius fracture. BMDs of the femoral neck (FN), total hip (TH), lumbar spine (LS), and VFA were obtained within 2 weeks of injury. BMD were compared between groups. Participants were classified into osteoporosis, osteopenia or normal using BMD alone, and BMD plus VFA, where a mere presence of vertebral compression fracture indicated osteoporosis.

Results

Fifty postmenopausal women with distal radius fractures and 111 non-fracture postmenopausal women participated. The mean BMD was significantly lower at all sites in the fracture group (FN BMD 0.590 ± 0.075 vs 0.671 ± 0.090, p = 0.007; TH BMD 0.742 ± 0.103 vs 0.828 ± 0.116, P = 0.009; LS BMD 0.799 ± 0.107 vs 0.890 ± 0.111, P = 0.009 in the fracture vs non-fracture group respectively). VFA increased the prevalence of osteoporosis from 16 (32%) to 23 (46%) in the fracture group, and 7 (6.31%) to 17 (16.22%) in the non-fracture group, with a number needed to treat 9.

Conclusions

Postmenopausal women with distal radius fractures had lower BMD. Incorporating VFA into diagnosis of osteoporosis increased the prevalence of osteoporosis in both fracture and non-fracture groups. Postmenopausal women aged 50 years or older with distal radius fracture are a good target for the investigation of osteoporosis.

Evaluation of Hip Geometry Parameters in Patients With a Distal Radius Fracture

BACKGROUND

Patients with a distal radius fracture (DRF) have an increased risk of subsequent fractures including hip fractures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether women with a DRF have certain hip geometry parameters known to indicate susceptibility to hip fractures.

METHODS

We compared bone mineral density (BMD) and hip geometry parameters (hip axis length, neck shaft angle, mean cortical thickness, femur neck width, cross-sectional area [CSA], cross-sectional moment of inertia, section modulus, and buckling ratio) in 181 women with a DRF (DRF group) and 362 propensity score-matched women without a fracture (control group). We evaluated the associations between DRF and hip geometry parameters using logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The DRF group had lower hip BMD; lower cortical thickness, CSA, and section modulus; and higher buckling ratio than the control group (all p < 0.05). The occurrence of a DRF was significantly associated with decreases in neck shaft angle (odds ratio [OR], 1.047; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.008-1.088) and CSA (OR, 3.114; 95% CI, 1.820-5.326) after adjusting for age, BMI, and total hip BMD.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, women with a DRF were more likely than women without a DRF to have hip geometry parameters known to indicate susceptibility to hip fractures. Our results suggest that not only low hip BMD but also a decreased CSA could account for the increased risk of subsequent hip fracture in patients with a DRF.

Osteoporosis care after distal radius fracture reduces subsequent hip or spine fractures: a 4-year longitudinal study

We evaluated whether active osteoporosis care in patients experiencing their first distal radius fracture (DRF) reduces subsequent hip or spine fractures by comparing two cohorts. The incidence of subsequent fractures was significantly lower in the active care cohort than the other cohort in 4-year follow-up.

PURPOSE

Studies show that osteoporosis care in patients with osteoporotic fracture reduces subsequent fractures, but the impact of such active care in patients with distal radius fracture (DRF) has not been well studied. We evaluated how much osteoporosis care in patients experiencing their first DRF can reduce subsequent hip or spine fractures at 4-year follow-up.

METHODS

Active osteoporosis care by orthopedic surgeons for patients with DRF started from September 2009 at our institution, thus we had a unique opportunity to compare the two cohorts: pre-involvement (PreI) group (DRF before September 2009) and post-involvement (PostI) group (DRF from September 2009). We compared the two cohorts for subsequent hip or spine fracture incidence in the 4 years following DRF.

RESULTS

Overall, 1057 patients with a DRF (85% women; mean age, 70 years) were studied, of whom 205 patients were in PreI group and 852 in PostI group. Subsequent fractures occurred in 27 patients (2.6%), with a mean interval of 29 months after DRF. The incidence was significantly lower in the PostI group than in the PreI group (1.9% vs. 5.4%, p = 0.004), especially in hip fractures (0.4% vs. 2.9%, p = 0.002). The relative risk reduction was 65% for all subsequent fractures and 86% for hip fractures.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that active osteoporosis care in patients with DRF significantly reduces subsequent fracture incidence even for the 4-year follow-up period. These findings add an evidence for the current proactive osteoporosis care programs such as fracture liaison services.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic level III.

Evaluation and Management of Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia in Patients with Distal Radius Fractures

Distal radius fractures (DRFs) are one of the most common fractures seen in elderly people. Patients with DRFs have a high incidence of osteoporosis and an increased risk of subsequent fractures, subtle early physical performance changes, and a high prevalence of sarcopenia. Since DRFs typically occur earlier than vertebral or hip fractures, they reflect early changes of the bone and muscle frailty and provide physicians with an opportunity to prevent progression of frailty and secondary fractures. In this review, we will discuss the concept of DRFs as a medical condition that is at the start of the fragility fracture cascade, recent advances in the diagnosis of bone fragility including emerging importance of cortical porosity, fracture healing with osteoporosis medications, and recent progress in research on sarcopenia in patients with DRFs.

Older Age and Higher Body Mass Index Are Associated With a More Degraded Trabecular Bone Score Compared to Bone Mineral Density

Trabecular bone score (TBS) may detect subjects with a more degraded microarchitecture but whose bone mineral density (BMD) reflects normal or osteopenia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether age and body sizes were associated with the discordance between BMD and TBS. We analyzed BMD and TBS in 1505 Korean women over 40 yr of age who had no history of osteoporotic fractures or conditions that affect bone metabolism. We considered 3 groups to have TBS values that reflected a more degraded TBS than their BMD values: (1) normal BMD but partially degraded TBS, (2) normal BMD but degraded TBS, and (3) osteopenia but degraded TBS. We compared subjects in these 3 groups with other subjects in terms of age and body sizes, and used multivariable logistic regression to analyze the odds ratios (ORs) for the occurrence of a more degraded TBS than their BMD level using age and body mass index (BMI). One hundred sixty subjects (10.6%) were found to have a more degraded TBS than their BMD level; these subjects were older, heavier, and had higher BMIs than the other subjects. Age (OR: 1.038, 95% confidence interval: 1.020-1.057, p< 0.001) and BMI (OR: 1.223, 95% confidence interval: 1.166-1.283, p< 0.001) were statistically significant in the multivariable analysis for the occurrence of this feature. Women with a more degraded TBS than their BMD level are older and have higher BMIs than the other subjects. It may be helpful to consider the possibility of trabecular bone degradation when clinically evaluating fracture risk in patients who are older or who have high BMIs with normal BMD or osteopenia.

Lower Trabecular Bone Score is Associated With the Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors

INTRODUCTION

Trabecular bone score (TBS) provides indirect indices of trabecular microarchitecture and bone quality. Several studies have evaluated the influence of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) on bone mass and geometric parameters, but no studies have evaluated the influence of PPIs on TBS.

METHODS

We reviewed the medical records of 1505 women aged 40-89 yr who had bone mineral density (BMD) examinations as a part of the medical diagnosis and disease prevention program and who did not have osteoporotic fractures or conditions that could affect bone metabolism. Among these, we identified 223 women with exposure to PPIs and selected the same number of age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched control patients. We compared TBS and BMD between the PPI exposure group and the control group and performed multivariate regression analyses to determine whether TBS and BMDs are associated with age, BMI, and PPIs exposure. We also examined whether TBS and BMDs are associated with PPIs exposure timing (current, recent, and past).

RESULTS

TBS and BMDs were significantly lower in the PPI exposure group than in the control group. In a multivariable linear regression analysis, TBS was significantly associated with age (p < 0.001) and PPI exposure (p = 0.02). In addition, all BMDs were found to be significantly associated with age, BMI, and PPI exposure. Lower TBS was associated with current PPIs use (p = 0.005), but not with recent or past PPIs usage. However, the influence of PPI exposure timing on the BMDs was not consistent between BMD measurement sites.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that TBS is lower in subjects with PPIs exposure than in controls. The association of lower TBS with current PPIs use suggests that trabecular bone quality could be affected early by PPIs, and but the effect might be reversible.