Bone mass and metabolism in patients with celiac disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Several aspects of the pathogenesis of osteopenia in celiac disease are still unclear. Therefore, bone mass and metabolism were evaluated in adults with celiac disease in a cross-sectional study. METHODS: Bone mineral density (BMD), assessed by total body dual-photon absorptiometry, and serum indices of bone metabolism and remodeling were evaluated in 17 patients with untreated celiac disease, 14 with celiac disease on a gluten-free diet, and 24 healthy volunteers. RESULTS: BMD, expressed as a z score, was significantly lower in patients with untreated celiac disease than in patients with treated celiac disease and volunteers and lower in patients with treated celiac disease than in volunteers. Similar changes were observed in serum calcium level, whereas intact parathyroid hormone level was significantly higher in untreated than in treated patients with celiac disease and volunteers, and no difference was found between the latter two groups. 25-Vitamin D level was significantly lower and 1,25-vitamin D level significantly higher in untreated celiac disease than in treated celiac disease and volunteers. Indices of bone remodeling were significantly higher in untreated than in treated patients and volunteers and significantly and positively correlated with iPTH in untreated patients with celiac disease. CONCLUSIONS: BMD is almost invariably low in patients with untreated celiac disease. Results in treated patients suggest that gluten-free diet improves but does not normalize BMD. Untreated celiac disease is characterized by high levels of 1,25-vitamin D and by increased bone turnover, caused by the increase in intact parathyroid hormone level.

Lactose intolerance and bone mass in postmenopausal Italian women.

Previous studies on the role of lactose malabsorption in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis have yielded conflicting results and further information is needed. To date, all studies have been carried out on populations with a low prevalence of lactose malabsorption and the lactose intestinal absorptive capacity was tested using a non-physiological dose of lactose. In fifty-eight Italian postmenopausal women (mean age 57 (SD 7) years), bone mineral density (BMD) at lumbar spine, H2 breath response after ingestion of 20 g lactose, intensity of symptoms of intolerance after a lactose load and daily Ca intake were evaluated. No differences were found between women with or without a positive H2 breath test with regard to BMD (-1.2 (SD 0.9) v. -0.9 (SD 0.8)) and Ca intake (509 (SD 266) v. 511 (SD 313) mg/d). On the contrary, both BMD and Ca intake were significantly lower in women with lactose malabsorption and symptoms of intolerance (-1.5 (SD 0.7) and 378 (SD 220) mg/d) than in those with malabsorption without symptoms (-0.9 (SD 0.9) and 624 (SD 254) mg/d). Moreover, in lactose malabsorbers Ca intake was correlated inversely with symptom score (rs -0.31, P < 0.05) and positively with BMD (rs 0.42, P < 0.005). Our results show that in Italian postmenopausal women Ca intake and BMD are not influenced directly by lactose malabsorption; the appearance of symptoms of intolerance seems to influence BMD unfavourably through a reduced Ca intake.

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head in refractory coeliac disease.

Osteonecrosis has been described occurring in many clinical conditions that require steroid administration. Mechanisms by which steroids produce osteonecrosis are not well known and the importance of the underlying disease has been recently emphasized. We report on a 48-year-old woman with coeliac disease who developed osteonecrosis of the femoral head after being treated with steroids for non-response to gluten withdrawal. We stress the possible role of osteoporosis and osteomalacia, frequently found in patients with coeliac disease, in the pathogenesis of this complication, and advise using drugs other than steroids in the treatment of refractory coeliac disease.

Bone scan in the evaluation of cementless hip prostheses.

The authors report the data obtained in a bone scan study conducted in 15 patients with cementless total hip arthroplasty. The study was conducted a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 46 months postsurgery. Contrary to what occurs for cemented prostheses, we used bone scan not as a diagnostic aid for complications, but in order to evaluate the osteogenetic response of the bone to a cementless prosthetic implant. Zonal bone scan high uptake revealed specific areas of overloading, or, when localized in the para-articular region, they anticipated the presence of ossifications before they became visible radiographically. Bone scan was also useful in monitoring the incorporation and remodelling phases of the auto and/or homoplastic bone grafts used.

Total body bone scan in the evaluation of tumor response to preoperative chemotherapy in the treatment of osteosarcoma.

With the introduction of preoperative (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy in the treatment of osteosarcoma, an early preoperative evaluation of the effectiveness of chemotherapy is essential, so that treatment may be modified in cases which are not responsive, and so that the surgical margin may be planned. The authors evaluate the accuracy of total body bone scan with Tc99m MDP in determining response to chemotherapy in 43 patients affected with osteosarcoma of the limbs, and preoperatively submitted to two cycles of chemotherapy with MTX i.v. and CDP i.a. All of the cases were submitted to a double bone scan examination, before and after preoperative chemotherapy. A bone scan evaluation using a qualitative method was compared to the percentage of necrosis observed in the tumorous tissue by histological examination carried out after surgery. In 58% of the cases the two values corresponded perfectly, in 28% of the cases bone scan evaluation overestimated response, and in 14% it underestimated it. In order to obtain quantitative preoperative data on response to chemotherapy in osteosarcoma, orientation towards the use of more sophisticated bone scan methods seems to be necessary, with computerized analysis of captation by dynamic measurement after infusion of Tc99m MDP or by radiocompounds with intracellular fixation such as Ga 67.

Atypical spontaneous osteonecrosis of both knees. A case report.

One case of spontaneous osteonecrosis (S.O.N.) of the femoral condyles is described. Lesions were seen in both lateral femoral condyles; this implies a local, microtraumatic or circulatory factor. It is interesting that the patient was so young (a 14 year old girl). She presented with persistent pain in the right knee and at examination only a mild tenderness was noted. Radiography showed a radiolucent "halo" in the lateral condyles with a surrounding sclerotic reaction. Femoral condyles at arthroscopic examination appeared with a slight flattening over the articular cartilage. The diagnosis of S.O.N. was made by a bone scan that demonstrated an increased uptake of the tracer in the lateral femoral condyle bilaterally. A conservative therapy was successful after 18 months.

Scintigraphic study of the evolution of cortical homografts in the treatment of fractures.

Twelve patients who had undergone osteosynthesis with a metal plate combined with a frozen homoplastic bone graft for the treatment of fractures or pseudarthrosis were subjected to bone scintigraphy with 99 Tc MDP. This investigation showed the graft to be a site of early and specific accumulation of the tracer. This finding supports early colonization of the graft by vascular structures and osteoblastic cells. In view of the small number of cases studied and our incomplete knowledge of the metabolic processes involved these considerations must remain hypotheses but given the excellent clinical results obtained, the relationships between homoplastic bone and host bone merit further investigation.

Return of splenic function after splenectomy: how much tissue is needed?

Ninety patients whose spleen had been removed either because of trauma (41 cases) or as an elective procedure (49) were investigated for return of splenic function by counting pitted red cells and examining spleen scans made after injection of heat damaged 99mTc labelled red cells. There was no significant difference in the proportion of pitted red cells between the two groups of patients. Evidence of splenic tissue in scintiscans was not invariably associated with low pitted red cell values, suggesting that the presence of splenic tissue did not necessarily mean return of splenic function. In every patient whose proportion of pitted red cells was less than 16.2% the scintiscan showed splenic uptake. The proportion of patients with pitted red cell values below 16.2% was significantly higher in the group operated on for trauma, and it is concluded that this was due to splenosis. A high inverse correlation between pitted red cell counts and computed splenic volumes was found. Patients with pitted red cell values of less than 16.2% had computed volumes of 22-133 cm3; below this range the proportion of pitted red cells rose very sharply. These results confirm that splenosis occurs in adults, though less often than in children, and suggest that when splenic tissue is to be implanted a graft of at least 20-30 cm3 is needed to ensure satisfactory return of splenic function.