Imaging Innovations Predict Fractures Among Aging Patients

Bone fractures are  increasingly commonamong aging populations. Not only is rehabilitation and healing a strenuous and long process, but pain management can result in its own complications and stress. Fortunately, a new study from the University of Wisconsin suggests routine CT scans might be able to determine if a patient is at risk for an osteopathic fracture. This discovery could prompt aging patients to take conscientious measures for preventing falls.  " CT scans are commonly performed in older adults for a wide variety of reasons. The rich bone data embedded in these scans is often ignored, but can and should be harnessed for opportunistic screening for fracture risk, "  saidlead study author Perry J Pickhardt, MD, a professor of radiology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine& Public Health.The researchers evaluated a group of 507 participants who had an average age of 73.4 years and had undergone chest and/or abdominal CT scans. They found that individuals who demonstrated a trabecular attenuation “of the first lumbar vertebra below a certain threshold” indicated a higher likelihood that they would be susceptible to fracture." There was a significant difference in fracture-free survival in patients with an L1attenuation of ≤ 90 HU compared with patients with L1attenuation above this threshold (P< .001),  wrotethe authors.“To our knowledge, this is the first study in a well-defined consecutive cohort with long-term follow-up that has demo...
Source: radRounds - Category: Radiology Authors: Source Type: blogs