What Is the Diagnostic Performance of Conventional Radiographs and Clinical Reassessment Compared With HR-pQCT Scaphoid Fracture Diagnosis?

BACKGROUND: Conventional radiographs and clinical reassessment are considered guides in managing clinically suspected scaphoid fractures. This is a unique study as it assessed the value of conventional radiographs and clinical reassessment in a cohort of patients, all of whom underwent additional imaging, regardless of the outcome of conventional radiographs and clinical reassessment. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: (1) What is the diagnostic performance of conventional radiographs in patients with a clinically suspected scaphoid fracture compared with high-resolution peripheral quantitative CT (HR-pQCT)? (2) What is the diagnostic performance of clinical reassessment in patients with a clinically suspected scaphoid fracture compared with HR-pQCT? (3) What is the diagnostic performance of conventional radiographs and clinical reassessment combined compared with HR-pQCT? METHODS: Between December 2017 and October 2018, 162 patients with a clinically suspected scaphoid fracture presented to the emergency department (ED). Forty-six patients were excluded and another 25 were not willing or able to participate, which resulted in 91 included patients. All patients underwent conventional radiography in the ED and clinical reassessment 7 to 14 days later, together with CT and HR-pQCT. The diagnostic performance characteristics and accuracy of conventional radiographs and clinical reassessment were compared with those of HR-pQCT for the diagnosis of fractures since this was proven to be superior to CT scaphoid fracture detection. The cohort included 45 men and 46 women with a median (IQR) age of 52 years (29 to 67). Twenty-four patients with a median age of 44 years (35 to 65) were diagnosed with a scaphoid fracture on HR-pQCT. RESULTS: When compared with HR-pQCT, conventional radiographs alone had a sensitivity of 67% (95% CI 45% to 84%), specificity of 85% (95% CI 74% to 93%), positive predictive value (PPV) of 62% (95% CI 46% to 75%), negative predictive value (NPV) of 88% (95% CI 80% to 93%), and a positive and negative likelihood ratio (LR) of 4.5 (95% CI 2.4 to 8.5) and 0.4 (95% CI 0.2 to 0.7), respectively. Compared with HR-pQCT, clinical reassessment alone resulted in a sensitivity of 58% (95% CI 37% to 78%), specificity of 42% (95% CI 30% to 54%), PPV of 26% (95% CI 19% to 35%), NPV of 74% (95% CI 62% to 83%), as well as a positive and negative LR of 1.0 (95% CI 0.7 to 1.5) and 1.0 (95% CI 0.6 to 1.7), respectively. Combining clinical examination with conventional radiography produced a sensitivity of 50% (95% CI 29% to 71%), specificity of 91% (95% CI 82% to 97%), PPV of 67% (95% CI 46% to 83%), NPV of 84% (95% CI 77% to 88%), as well as a positive and negative LR of 5.6 (95% CI 2.4 to 13.2) and 0.6 (95% CI 0.4 to 0.8), respectively. CONCLUSION: The accuracy of conventional radiographs (80% compared with HR-pQCT) and clinical reassessment (46% compared with HR-pQCT) indicate that the value of clinical reassessment is limited in diagnosing scaphoid fractures and cannot be considered directive in managing scaphoid fractures. The combination of conventional radiographs and clinical reassessment does not increase the accuracy of these diagnostic tests compared with the accuracy of conventional radiographs alone and is therefore also limited in diagnosing scaphoid fractures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II, diagnostic study.

Association between bone shape and the presence of a fracture in patients with a clinically suspected scaphoid fracture.

Scaphoid fractures are difficult to diagnose with current imaging modalities. It is unknown whether the shape of the scaphoid bone, assessed by statistical shape modeling, can be used to differentiate between fractured and non-fractured bones. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether the presence of a scaphoid fracture is associated with shape modes of a statistical shape model (SSM). Forty-one high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) scans were available from patients with a clinically suspected scaphoid fracture of whom 15 patients had a scaphoid fracture. The scans showed no motion artefacts affecting bone shape. The scaphoid bones were semi-automatically contoured, and the contours were converted to triangular meshes. The meshes were registered, followed by principal component analysis to determine mean shape and shape modes describing shape variance. The first five out of the forty shape modes cumulatively explained 87.8% of the shape variance. Logistic regression analysis was used to study the association between shape modes and fracture presence. The regression models were used to classify the 41 scaphoid bones as fractured or non-fractured using a cut-off value that maximized the sum of sensitivity and specificity. The classification of the models was compared with fracture diagnosis on HR-pQCT. A regression model with four shape modes had an area under the ROC-curve of 72.3% and correctly classified 75.6% of the scaphoid bones (fractured: 60.0%, non-fractured: 84.6%). To conclude, fracture presence in patients with a clinically suspected scaphoid fracture appears to be associated with the shape of the scaphoid bone.

The interobserver reliability of the diagnosis and classification of scaphoid fractures using high-resolution peripheral quantitative CT.

AIMS: Besides conventional radiographs, the use of MRI, CT, and bone scintigraphy is frequent in the diagnosis of a fracture of the scaphoid. However, which techniques give the best results remain unknown. The investigation of a new imaging technique initially requires an analysis of its precision. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the interobserver agreement of high-resolution peripheral quantitative CT (HR-pQCT) in the diagnosis of a scaphoid fracture. A secondary aim was to investigate the interobserver agreement for the presence of other fractures and for the classification of scaphoid fracture. METHODS: Two radiologists and two orthopaedic trauma surgeons evaluated HR-pQCT scans of 31 patients with a clinically-suspected scaphoid fracture. The observers were asked to determine the presence of a scaphoid or other fracture and to classify the scaphoid fracture based on the Herbert classification system. Fleiss kappa statistics were used to calculate the interobserver agreement for the diagnosis of a fracture. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to assess the agreement for the classification of scaphoid fracture. RESULTS: A total of nine (29%) scaphoid fractures and 12 (39%) other fractures were diagnosed in 20 patients (65%) using HR-pQCT across the four observers. The interobserver agreement was 91% for the identification of a scaphoid fracture (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.76 to 1.00) and 80% for other fractures (95% CI 0.72 to 0.87). The mean ICC for the classification of a scaphoid fracture in the seven patients diagnosed with scaphoid fracture by all four observers was 73% (95% CI 0.42 to 0.94). CONCLUSION: We conclude that the diagnosis of scaphoid and other fractures is reliable when using HR-pQCT in patients with a clinically-suspected fracture. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(4):478-484.

Bone Microarchitecture and Distal Radius Fracture Pattern Complexity.

Distal radius fractures (DRFs) occur in various complexity patterns among patients differing in age, gender, and bone mineral density (BMD). Our aim was to investigate the association of patient characteristics, BMD, bone microarchitecture, and bone strength with the pattern complexity of DRFs. In this study, 251 patients aged 50-90 years with a radiologically confirmed DRF who attended the Fracture Liaison Service of VieCuri Medical Centre, the Netherlands, between November 2013 and June 2016 were included. In all patients fracture risk factors and underling metabolic disorders were evaluated and BMD measurement with vertebral fractures assessment by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was performed. Radiographs of all DRFs were reviewed by two independent investigators to assess fracture pattern complexity according to the AO/OTA classification in extra-articular (A), partially articular (B), and complete articular (C) fractures. For this study, patients with A and C fractures were compared. Seventy-one patients were additionally assessed by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography. Compared to group A, mean age, the proportion of males, and current smokers were higher in group C, but BMD and prevalent vertebral fractures were not different. In univariate analyses, age, male gender, trabecular area, volumetric BMD (vBMD), and stiffness were associated with type C fractures. In multivariate analyses, only male gender (odds ratio (OR) 8.48 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.75-41.18, p = 0.008]) and age (OR 1.11 [95% CI 1.03-1.19, p = 0.007]) were significantly associated with DRF pattern complexity. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that age and gender, but not body mass index, BMD, bone microarchitecture, or strength were associated with pattern complexity of DRFs.© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Orthopaedic Research® Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 37:1690-1697, 2019.

Electrocardiographic-guided tip positioning technique for peripherally inserted central catheters in a Dutch teaching hospital: Feasibility and cost-effectiveness analysis in a prospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION:: Peripherally inserted central catheters are venous devices intended for short to medium periods of intravenous treatment. Positioning of the catheter tip at the cavoatrial junction is necessary for optimum performance of a peripherally inserted central catheter. In this study, safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of electrocardiographic-guided peripherally inserted central catheter positioning in a Dutch teaching hospital were evaluated. METHODS:: All patients who received a peripherally inserted central catheter in 2016 using electrocardiographic guidance were compared to those where fluoroscopy guidance was used in a prospective non-randomized cohort study. Relevant data were extracted from electronic health records. Cost-effectiveness analysis was performed. RESULTS:: A total of 162 patients received a peripherally inserted central catheter using fluoroscopy guidance and 103 patients using electrocardiographic guidance in 2016. No significant difference was found in malposition, infection or other complications between these groups. Due to personnel reduction and omission of fluoroscopy costs, cost reduction for each catheter insertion was €120 in the first year and, as a result of discounted acquisition costs, €190 in subsequent years. DISCUSSION:: The positioning results and complication rate are comparable to the previously reported literature. The cost reduction may vary in different hospitals. Other benefits of the electrocardiographic-guided technique are omission of X-ray exposure and improved patient service. CONCLUSION:: Implementation of electrocardiographic-guided tip positioning for peripherally inserted central catheter was safe and effective in this study and led to an improved high value and cost-conscious care.

Late onset pulmonary metastasis more than 10 years after primary sigmoid carcinoma.

According to current guidelines, follow-up of patients with colorectal cancer is ended after five years. Also, chest X-ray is not part of standard investigation during follow-up. We describe a case of a 74-year-old patient, more than ten years after a sigmoid resection because of carcinoma of the sigmoid. No recurrence was detected during intensive follow-up. However, ten years after resection of the sigmoid adenocarcinoma, complaints of coughing induced further examination with as result the detection of a solitary metastasis in the left lung of the patient. Within half-a-year after metastasectomy of the lung metastasis, she presented herself with thoracic pain and dyspnea resulting in discovering diffuse metastasis on pulmonary, pleural, costal and muscular level. Five year follow-up of colorectal carcinoma without chest X-ray can be questioned to be efficient. The growing knowledge of tumor biology might in future adjust the duration and frequency of diagnostic follow-up to prevent (late) recurrence in patients with colorectal carcinoma.