Association of Continuous Vertebral Bone Bridges and Bone Mineral Density with the Fracture Risk in Patients with Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis

ABSTRACT

Methods@#We examined the computed tomography scans from the thoracic vertebra to the sacrum used to diagnose DISH in 140 patients (98 men and 42 women; average age, 78.6 years). We compared patients who did (n=52) and did not have (n=88) fractures at the continuous vertebral bodies fused by bone bridges. The relationship between the vertebral fractures and the maximum number of vertebrae that are bony cross-linked with contiguous adjacent vertebrae (max VB) from the thoracic vertebra to the sacrum or from the lumbar vertebra to the sacrum and proximal femur BMD were analyzed using a logistic regression model. @*Results@#We found that after adjusting for the confounding factors, higher max VB, both from the thoracic vertebrae to the sacrum and the lumbar vertebrae to the sacrum, was associated with a higher risk of vertebral fractures. This difference was statistically significant. The risk was higher when only the lumbar vertebrae to the sacrum was considered (thoracic vertebrae to the sacrum odds ratio, 1.21; p<0.05; lumbar vertebrae to the sacrum odds ratio, 2.78; p<0.01). Moreover, low proximal femur BMD in DISH patients raises the fracture risk (odds ratio, 0.47; p<0.01). @*Conclusions@#Many continuous vertebral bone bridges, especially those that extend to the lumbar spine and low proximal femur BMD, are risk factors for fracture in DISH patients.