Deep learning performance compared to healthcare experts in detecting wrist fractures from radiographs: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of deep learning (DL) algorithms in the diagnosis of wrist fractures (WF) on plain wrist radiographs, taking healthcare experts consensus as reference standard.

METHODS

Embase, Medline, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science were searched in the period from 1 Jan 2012 to 9 March 2023. Eligible studies were patients with wrist radiographs for radial and ulnar fractures as the target condition, studies using DL algorithms based on convolutional neural networks (CNN), and healthcare experts consensus as the minimum reference standard. Studies were assessed with a modified QUADAS-2 tool, and we applied a bivariate random-effects model for meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy data.

RESULTS

Our study was registered at PROSPERO with ID: CRD42023431398. We included 6 unique studies for meta-analysis, with a total of 33,026 radiographs. CNN performance compared to reference standards for the included articles found a summary sensitivity of 92% (95% CI: 80%-97%) and a summary specificity of 93% (95% CI: 76%-98%). The generalized bivariate I-squared statistic indicated considerable heterogeneity between the studies (81.90%). Four studies had one or more domains at high risk of bias and two studies had concerns regarding applicability.

CONCLUSION

The diagnostic accuracy of CNNs was comparable to that of healthcare experts in wrist radiographs for investigation of WF. There is a need for studies with a robust reference standard, external data-set validation and investigation of diagnostic performance of healthcare experts aided with CNNs.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

DL matches healthcare experts in diagnosing WFs, which potentially benefits patient diagnosis.

[Concomitant injuries of the wrist, distal ulna and distal radioulnar joint in distal radius fractures : Primary operative cotreatment vs. healing with no additional treatment]

Distal radius fractures are the most common fractures in adults and account for one quarter of all fractures, with increasing incidence. The number of patients and the requirement of an exact treatment are high. Continuous developments in diagnostic and operative possibilities enable in many cases a high-quality treatment with good clinical outcome; however, radius fractures rarely occur alone but in combination with additional fractures or ligamentous injuries. The frequency and extent of these injuries are not linked to the complexity of the primary injury. The aim is to recognize and correctly diagnose potential concomitant injuries. Many injuries do not need immediate treatment but heal without additional treatment after the radius has been treated. It is important to recognize those injuries which can cause severe complications if untreated; however, exactly this is often difficult. In many cases there is still no consensus if and how concomitant injuries should be treated. This article highlights the most frequent concomitant injuries in distal radius fractures with the possible advantages and disadvantages of cotreatment in order to facilitate decision making.

External validation of the "deformity, edema, and pain in pronation" model for predicting wrist fractures

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study is to externally validate the "Deformity, Edema, and Pain in Pronation" model, which determines the necessity for radiography in patients with wrist trauma.

METHODS

This prospective, cross-sectional study was performed in a tertiary emergency department (ED). All patients admitted to the ED with wrist trauma aged 18 years and older were included in the study. Patients who did not have acute and blunt wrist trauma, those who could not be fully examined due to various reasons, and patients who did not wish to participate were excluded. Each patient was examined by their responsible physician, and imaging tests were requested based on the indications. All radiographic images were evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon who was blinded to the clinical information. This evaluation was accepted as the standard reference for diagnosing fractures.

RESULTS

391 patients were included in the study. 170 patients (43.5%) had at least one fracture. The sensitivity and specificity of the model formed in our study in predicting wrist fractures were 98.77% (95% CI: 95.61-99.85) and 27.60% (95% CI 21.82-34.00), respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) on external validation of the model was 0.878 (p < 0.001; 95% CI: 0.844-0.913). With the practice of this rule, there would be a 16% decrease in X-ray imaging request, while only 0.5% patients would have missed inoperable fractures.

CONCLUSION

The "deformity, edema, and pain in pronation" model is a reliable and practical clinical decision rule for determining the necessity of radiography in wrist trauma.

Distal radial fractures in adults: 4 versus 6 weeks of cast immobilisation after closed reduction, a randomised controlled trial

PURPOSE

In this study, we aim to evaluate whether the functional outcome of Distal Radius Fractures (DRFs) could be enhanced by shortening the period of immobilisation from six weeks to four weeks.

METHODS

This study is a single blinded randomised controlled trial. Four week plaster cast immobilisation was compared with six week plaster cast immobilisation in adult patients (older than 18 years) with adequately reduced DRFs. The primary outcome parameters were functional outcome measured by Quick DASH score after 1-year follow-up. Secondary outcomes were: Quick DASH after three months, 6 months, range of motion, and complications (such as number of re-interventions, secondary displacement, delayed and non-union).

RESULTS

80 patients (16 male and 64 female, mean age, 61.76 years) were included and randomized. 65 patients completed the 1-year follow-up. After 1-year follow up, no significant differences were found between the two groups in the QUICK DASH score (P = 0.55). Moreover, no significant differences in DASH Score after three and six months (P = 0.24, 0.28, respectively). The complication rate among both cohorts was almost similar, (P = 0.51).

CONCLUSION

Reduction in the time of cast immobilisation in patients with DRFs in accepted position reported similar outcomes. Of note, the complication rate in the four and six weeks was also the same. Thus, 4 weeks in cast is a safe immobilisation period. Clinical Trials Number Trial registration number and date of registration for prospectively registered trials at http://ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05012345), on 19/08/2021.

Commercially-available AI algorithm improves radiologists' sensitivity for wrist and hand fracture detection on X-ray, compared to a CT-based ground truth

OBJECTIVES

Algorithms for fracture detection are spreading in clinical practice, but the use of X-ray-only ground truth can induce bias in their evaluation. This study assessed radiologists' performances to detect wrist and hand fractures on radiographs, using a commercially-available algorithm, compared to a computerized tomography (CT) ground truth.

METHODS

Post-traumatic hand and wrist CT and concomitant X-ray examinations were retrospectively gathered. Radiographs were labeled based on CT findings. The dataset was composed of 296 consecutive cases: 118 normal (39.9%), 178 pathological (60.1%) with a total of 267 fractures visible in CT. Twenty-three radiologists with various levels of experience reviewed all radiographs without AI, then using it, blinded towards CT results.

RESULTS

Using AI improved radiologists' sensitivity (Se, 0.658 to 0.703, p < 0.0001) and negative predictive value (NPV, 0.585 to 0.618, p < 0.0001), without affecting their specificity (Sp, 0.885 vs 0.891, p = 0.91) or positive predictive value (PPV, 0.887 vs 0.899, p = 0.08). On the radiographic dataset, based on the CT ground truth, stand-alone AI performances were 0.771 (Se), 0.898 (Sp), 0.684 (NPV), 0.915 (PPV), and 0.764 (AUROC) which were lower than previously reported, suggesting a potential underestimation of the number of missed fractures in the AI literature.

CONCLUSIONS

AI enabled radiologists to improve their sensitivity and negative predictive value for wrist and hand fracture detection on radiographs, without affecting their specificity or positive predictive value, compared to a CT-based ground truth. Using CT as gold standard for X-ray labels is innovative, leading to algorithm performance poorer than reported elsewhere, but probably closer to clinical reality.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

Using an AI algorithm significantly improved radiologists' sensitivity and negative predictive value in detecting wrist and hand fractures on radiographs, with ground truth labels based on CT findings.

KEY POINTS

• Using CT as a ground truth for labeling X-rays is new in AI literature, and led to algorithm performance significantly poorer than reported elsewhere (AUROC: 0.764), but probably closer to clinical reality. • AI enabled radiologists to significantly improve their sensitivity (+ 4.5%) and negative predictive value (+ 3.3%) for the detection of wrist and hand fractures on X-rays. • There was no significant change in terms of specificity or positive predictive value.

Spinal Sagittal Imbalance is Associated with Vertebral Fracture without a Definite History of Falls: Cross-Sectional, Comparative Study of Cohort with and without a Distal Radius Fracture

BACKGROUND

Treating osteoporosis in patients with a distal radius fracture (DRF) became paramount at the Fracture Liaison Service. Spinal sagittal imbalance emerged as a risk factor for subsequent fractures. Therefore, here we investigated the spinal profile of patients with DRF to investigate its association with a history of falls and prevalent vertebral fractures.

METHODS

We reviewed the cases of 162 women presenting with DRF and 162 age-matched women without fracture who underwent an osteoporosis evaluation including bone mineral density (BMD) and lateral spine imaging. We compared the incidence of prevalent vertebral fracture and sagittal vertical axis (SVA) to measure spinal sagittal imbalance. We also performed a regression analysis of the risks of prevalent vertebral fracture, such as age, body mass index (BMI), BMD, and SVA.

RESULTS

The SVA was significantly smaller (indicating more stable sagittal balance) in patients with a DRF versus controls (16 mm vs. 34 mm, respectively; p<0.001). The incidence of a prevalent vertebral fracture was similar between groups (12% vs. 15%, respectively; p=0.332). In both groups, the SVA was significantly greater in those with versus without a vertebral fracture. The vertebral fracture was significantly associated with age and SVA but not BMI or spinal BMD.

CONCLUSIONS

Spinal sagittal balance was superior in DRF patients, yet the frequency of prevalent vertebral fractures was similar. The identification of this unique spinal profile in patients with DRF may increase our understanding of osteoporotic fractures.

MDCT evaluation of distal radius fractures and their association with carpal and distal ulnar fractures

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of distal radius fractures (DRFs) in patients undergoing multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) and their association with carpal and distal ulnar fractures.

METHODS

This retrospective study analyzed 120 patients, who underwent MDCT for evaluation of DRFs. Two radiologists independently evaluated the data for various fracture characteristics and for associated carpal and distal ulnar fractures.

RESULTS

Out of 120 DRFs, 74 were complete articular, 40 were partial articular and only 6 were extra-articular. Displacement was present in 99 fractures and intra-articular step off was present in 73 fractures. A total of 81 carpal bone fractures were identified in 46 (38.3%) patients, with more than one carpal bone fracture in 21 patients. Distal ulnar fractures were detected in 79 patients (65.8%), out of which 67 involved the ulnar styloid. DRFs with intra-articular step off were more frequently associated with carpal bone fracture (p value: 0.021), while displaced DRFs were more frequently associated with distal ulnar fracture (p value <0.001). Interobserver agreement for detection of carpal bone fractures (κ = 0.807) and distal ulnar fractures (κ = 0.923) was excellent.

CONCLUSION

Majority of DRFs in patients referred for MDCT were complete articular with high incidence of displacement and intra-articular step off. Associated carpal bone and distal ulna fractures were not uncommon.

Outcome Analysis of Adult Distal Radius Fractures Managed during COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction

COVID-19 pandemic created extreme pressure situation on health care services across the globe with shortage of medical staff and beds. The management of fragility fracture also affected significantly. The distal radius fractures (DRFs) are one of the common frailty fractures. There was a significant shift in the treatment of such injuries with new guidelines leaning toward more of non-operative management.

Case Report

A retrospective cross-sectional study of DRFs (DRF) treated during COVID pandemic for a period of 1 year in the United Kingdom. This included all radiologically confirmed cases of DRFs with isolated adult injuries excluding polytrauma, same limb other injuries, associated neurovascular injuries, and age below 18 years. All patient's data were collected from hospital records retrospectively from April 2020 to March 2021. There were a total of 179 patients with distal radius fracture, of which 141 (78.8%) were females and 38 (21.2%) males. The mean age was 68.2 years (SD 68.20 ± 15.63) and there were greater number of patients with intra-articular fracture. There were 28.5% (Grades 1 and 2, Group I) extra-articular fractures; 69.8% (Grades 3-8, Group II) were intra-articular fractures and 3 Barton's fractures (Group III) accounted to 1.7%. 137 patients were (76.5%) treated to non-operatively and 42 (23.5%) were treated surgically. 135 (75.4%) patients had good and 43 (24%) satisfactory clinical outcomes. 3 (1.6%) patients required osteotomy for malunited fractures. Fracture grade I and II is significantly associated with non-operative procedure (100.0% vs 84.3%) with P < 0.001.

Conclusion

This study confirmed that non-operative treatment is still a good option even in intra-articular fractures. Surgical fixation should be considered in young patients and those with higher grade of fracture classification and greater angulation at presentation. A virtual physiotherapy is still a good option.

Distal radius fractures and risk of incident neurocognitive disorders in older adults: a retrospective cohort study

INTRODUCTION

Distal radius fractures (DRF) are associated with increased risk of subsequent fractures and physical decline in older adults. This study aims to evaluate the risk cognitive decline following DRF and potential for timely screening and intervention.

METHODS

A cohort of 1046 individuals 50-75 years of age with DRF were identified between 1995 and 2015 (81.5% female; mean age 62.5 [± 7.1] years). A control group (N = 1044) without history of DRF was matched by age, sex, and fracture date (i.e., index). The incidence of neurocognitive disorders (NCD) in relation to DRF/index was determined. Group comparisons were adjusted by age and comorbidity measured by the Elixhauser index.

RESULTS

The DRF group had a greater incidence of NCD compared to the control group (11.3% vs. 8.2%) with a 56% greater relative risk (HR = 1.56, 95% Cl: 1.18, 2.07; p = 0.002) after adjusting for age and comorbidity. For every 10-year age increase, the DRF group was over three times more likely to develop a NCD (HR = 3.23, 95% Cl: 2.57, 4.04; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

DRF in adults ages 50 to 75 are associated with increased risk of developing neurocognitive disorders. DRF may represent a sentinel opportunity for cognitive screening and early intervention. Distal radius fractures (DRF) have been associated with greater risk of future fractures and physical decline. This study reports that DRF are also associated with greater risk of developing neurocognitive disorders in older adults. Timely intervention may improve early recognition and long-term outcomes for older adults at risk of cognitive decline.

Perioperative management of distal radius fractures

Fractures of the distal radius are the most common upper limb fracture and account for over a sixth of all fractures seen in emergency departments. Although most of these fractures are managed non-operatively, a significant number of complex injuries undergo operative management. This educational review of up to date guidelines discusses the perioperative management of distal radius fractures and provides readers with continuing professional development activities.

The Acutely Injured Wrist

Wrist traumas are a frequent clinical emergency for which instrumental imaging assessment is required. The purpose of this article is to review the role of imaging assessment of traumatic wrist injuries, with particular reference to fractures and associated lesions.

Discordant pattern of peripheral fractures in diabetes: a meta-analysis on the risk of wrist and ankle fractures

To clarify if the peripheral microarchitectural abnormalities described in diabetics have clinical consequences, we evaluated the risk of wrist and ankle fractures. The meta-analysis resulted in an increase in the risk of ankle fractures and a decrease in wrist fractures risk, suggesting that microarchitecture may not be the major fracture determinant.

INTRODUCTION

There is evidence for an increase in the risk of hip fractures in diabetes (both in type 1 and 2), but the risk is not established for other skeletal sites. Microarchitecture evaluations have reported a decrease in volumetric bone mineral density and an increase in cortical porosity at the radius and tibia. To investigate if there is a clinical consequence for these microarchitectural abnormalities, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on the risk of ankle and wrist fractures in diabetes.

METHODS

Medline and Embase were searched using the terms 'diabetes mellitus', 'fracture', 'ankle', 'radius' and 'wrist'. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using random effects model.

RESULTS

For ankle fractures, six studies were selected including 2,137,223 participants and 15,395 fractures. For wrist fractures, 10 studies were eligible with 2,773,222 subjects and 39,738 fractures. The studies included men and women, ages 20 to 109 years for the wrist and 27 to 109 years for the ankle. The vast majority of subjects had type 2 diabetes. Diabetes was associated with an increase in the risk of ankle fractures (RR 1.30 95%CI 1.15-1.48) and a decrease in wrist fractures (RR 0.85 95%CI 0.77-0.95). In the studies that reported body mass index (BMI), the mean values were 10% higher in the diabetic groups than controls.

CONCLUSION

The risk of fractures is increased in diabetes at the ankle and decreased at the wrist. The same pattern is observed in obesity. Although bone microarchitectural features are different in obesity and diabetes, the epidemiology of peripheral fractures is similar in both diseases suggesting that microarchitecture may not be the major determinant of peripheral fractures in these populations.

Wrist function in malunion: Is the distal radius designed to retain function in the face of fracture?

Introduction Fractures of the distal radius are the most common fracture in humans and are the sempiternal hazard of 3.5 million years of bipedalism. Despite the antiquity of the injury, one of the most controversial topics in current orthopaedics is the management of distal radius fractures. It has been suggested that radiographic appearances rarely correlate with functional outcomes. As the success of the human species is predicated almost exclusively on its dexterity and intelligence, it is conceivable that the distal radius has evolved to preserve function even in the face of injury. We therefore hypothesise that the distal radius is designed to accommodate the possibility of fracture. Methods We conducted a review of studies comparing fracture pattern and form with function. We also explore the paleoanthropological evidence and comparative studies with other primates. Findings The evidence points to the human distal radius being highly tolerant of post-fracture deformity in terms of preservation of function. In addition, the distal radius appears to have apparently anatomically 'redundant' features that confer this capability. We believe these phenomena to be an evolved trait that developed with bipedalism, increasing the chances of survival for a species whose success depends upon its dexterity.

Carpal fractures other than scaphoid

Carpal fractures are uncommon, but if missed, can lead to morbidity and loss of function, especially in an athlete. Early diagnosis through physical examination, plain radiographs, and possibly advanced imaging is paramount. Treatment is specific to each fracture type, and return to play varies with each clinical scenario. This article organizes current knowledge of these potentially difficult fractures with a table of diagnoses and treatment guidelines.