Osteoporosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Osteoporosis, including details on symptoms, treatment, prevention, causes.

Diffusion-weighted imaging for predicting new compression fractures following percutaneous vertebroplasty.

Sugimoto T, Tanigawa N, Ikeda K, Ohmura N, Maehara M, Kariya S, Kojima H, Komemushi A, Ha-Kawa SK, Saito Y, Tajika A, Kinoshita T, Sawada S

Department of Radiology and Neuropsychiatry, Kansai Medical University Takii Hospital, Osaka, Japan. sugimota@takii.kmu.ac.jp

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) is a technique that structurally stabilizes a fractured vertebral body. However, some patients return to the hospital due to recurrent back pain following PVP, and such pain is sometimes caused by new compression fractures. PURPOSE: To investigate whether the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of adjacent vertebral bodies as assessed by diffusion-weighted imaging before PVP could predict the onset of new compression fractures following PVP. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 25 patients with osteoporotic compression fractures who underwent PVP were enrolled in this study. ADC was measured for 49 vertebral bodies immediately above and below each vertebral body injected with bone cement before and after PVP. By measuring ADC for each adjacent vertebral body, ADC was compared between vertebral bodies with a new compression fracture within 1 month and those without new compression fractures. In addition, the mean ADC of adjacent vertebral bodies per patient was calculated. RESULTS: Mean preoperative ADC for the six adjacent vertebral bodies with new compression fractures was 0.55 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s (range 0.36-1.01 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s), and for the 43 adjacent vertebral bodies without new compression fractures 0.20 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s (range 0-0.98 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s) (P < 0.001). Mean preoperative ADC for the six patients with new compression fractures was 0.55 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s (range 0.21-1.01 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s), and that for the 19 patients without new compression fractures 0.17 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s (range 0.01-0.43 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The ADC of adjacent vertebral bodies as assessed by diffusion-weighted imaging before PVP might be one of the predictors for new compression fractures following PVP.

Published 16 April 2008 in Acta Radiol, 49(4): 419-26.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Osteoporosis published 11 April 2008:

The effect of pilot hole size on the insertion torque and pullout strength of self-tapping cortical bone screws in osteoporotic bone.   J Trauma, 64(4): 990-5.

BACKGROUND: All surgical screws can experience failure if the torsional, tensile, and flexion loads exerted on the screws are excessively high. The use of self-tapping screws (STS) results in higher insertion torques (IT) as these screws cut their own threads in the pilot hole drilled in the bone. In this study, the torque for inserting the STS into an osteoporotic bone block for different pilot hole sizes (PHS) was measured and the pullout strength (PS) for extraction of the screws was ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Use of bisphosphonates among women and risk of atrial fibrillation and flutter: population based case-control study.   BMJ, 336(7648): 813-6.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between atrial fibrillation and flutter and use of bisphosphonates for osteoporosis among women. DESIGN: Population based case-control study, using medical databases from Denmark. SETTING: Northern Denmark. PARTICIPANTS: 13 586 patients with atrial fibrillation and flutter and 68 054 population controls, all with complete hospital and prescription history. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Adjusted relative risk of atrial fibrillation and flutter. RESULTS: 435 cases ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Osteoporosis published 19 March 2008:

Large-scale analysis of association between LRP5 and LRP6 variants and osteoporosis.   JAMA, 299(11): 1277-90.

CONTEXT: Mutations in the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) gene cause rare syndromes characterized by altered bone mineral density (BMD). More common LRP5 variants may affect osteoporosis risk in the general population. OBJECTIVE: To generate large-scale evidence on whether 2 common variants of LRP5 (Val667Met, Ala1330Val) and 1 variant of LRP6 (Ile1062Val) are associated with BMD and fracture risk. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, multicenter, collaborative study of ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Intermittent recombinant TSH injections prevent ovariectomy-induced bone loss.   Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 105(11): 4289-94.

We recently described the direct effects of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) on bone and suggested that the bone loss in hyperthyroidism, hitherto attributed solely to elevated thyroid hormone levels, could at least in part arise from accompanying decrements in serum TSH. Recent studies on both mice and human subjects provide compelling evidence that thyroid hormones and TSH have the opposite effects on the skeleton. Here, we show that TSH, when injected intermittently into rodents, even at ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Osteoporosis published 17 March 2008:

Screening for osteoporosis in anorexia nervosa: prevalence and predictors of reduced bone mineral density.   Int J Eat Disord, 41(3): 284-7.

OBJECTIVE: Decreased bone mineral density (BMD) in anorexia nervosa (AN) can be detected easily by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). This study was designed to assess the prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia in AN, identify predictors, and determine the diagnostic yield of screening with DXA. METHOD: DXA was used to screen 59 unselected adult patients with a history of AN. RESULTS: Osteoporosis was identified in 18 patients (31%) and osteopenia in 30 (51%). The spine had a lower mean ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Osteoporosis published 6 March 2008:

Impact of energy and casein or whey protein intake on bone status in a rat model of age-related bone loss.   Br J Nutr, 99(4): 764-72.

In the elderly, nutritional deficiencies, such as low energy and protein intake, are suggested to increase the risk of osteoporotic fractures. Modulation of the amount and quality of protein intake under energy deficient conditions represents an interesting strategy to prevent aged-related bone loss. We investigated the effect of a 5-month dietary restriction on bone status in 16-month-old male rats. Rats were randomised into six groups (n 10 per group). Control animals were fed a normal diet ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Osteoporosis published 5 March 2008:

Teriparatide in the treatment of osteoporosis.   Am J Health Syst Pharm, 65(6): 532-9.

PURPOSE: The efficacy, safety, and cost of teriparatide in the treatment of osteoporosis are reviewed. SUMMARY: Osteoporosis is a leading cause of fractures in women and men but is underdiagnosed and undertreated. Antiresorptive therapies (calcitonin, estrogen, bisphosphonates, and selective estrogen-receptor modulators) have historically been used to treat this condition. Teriparatide (recombinant human parathyroid hormone) is an anabolic agent labeled for use in postmenopausal women and men ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Osteoporosis published 3 March 2008:

Discontinuity and failures of therapy with bisphosphonates: joint assessment of predictors with multi-state models.   Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf, 17(3): 260-9.

BACKGROUND: Data from a cohort of women treated with bisphosphonates were used to illustrate that multi-state models may be the useful tools of analysis where two causes of treatment failure are the ultimate outcome of interest, and the sequence of recurrent episodes of treatment starting and discontinuing is also of concern. METHODS: All the 11 863 women resident in the Italian Region of Lombardy, aged 45 years or over and who received bisphosphonates for the first time during 2003 entered ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

© 2004-2008 Osteoporosis Research Today. All Rights Reserved.