The efficacy of pediatric elbow radiographic guidance in diagnosis of lateral humeral condyle fracture.

Although lateral humeral condyle fracture is common, the incidence of missed diagnosis is very high. Delayed and missed diagnosis led to significant morbidities and loss of functions. We designed a pediatric elbow radiographic guidance aiming to improve the accuracy of diagnosis. This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the radiographic guidance for the diagnosis of lateral condyle fracture. A cross-sectional study was conducted after defining the essential parameters as a guidance for assessing the pediatric elbow radiographs. We included medical students, emergency medicine, orthopedic, and radiology residents and fellows into this study. A questionnaire was used to evaluate the efficacy of the guidance. All participants underwent a pretest evaluation, followed by studying the guidance, and then finished a posttest evaluation. Baseline characteristics, diagnostic scores, and parameter evaluation scores were collected. The pretest and posttest scores were analyzed using paired t-test. Association between baseline characteristics and diagnostic scores were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. We included 177 participants. Average diagnostic score was significantly increased after using the guidance, from 12.2 ± 1.9 to 13.0 ± 1.7 (p < 0.0001). Medical students showed the most improvement, from 11.9 ± 1.9 to 13.1 ± 1.3 (p <0.001). All means of essential parameter evaluation scores were significantly improved in overall participants.The pediatric elbow radiographic guidance is useful for evaluation and diagnosis of lateral condyle fracture, especially for young physicians and trainees. Therefore, this should be recommended in routine medical education and general practice.

Prevalence of High-Riding Vertebral Artery and Morphometry of C2 Pedicles Using a Novel Computed Tomography Reconstruction Technique.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, matched-pair comparative study. PURPOSE: To determine whether a thin-sliced pedicular-oriented computed tomography (TPCT) scan reconstructed from an existing conventional computed tomography (CCT) scan is more accurate for identifying vertebral artery groove (VAG) anomalies than CCT. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Posterior atlantoaxial transarticular screw fixation and C2 pedicle screws can cause vertebral artery (VA) injury. Two anatomic variations of VAG anomalies are associated with VA injury: a high-riding VA (HRVA) and a narrow pedicle of the C2 vertebra. CCT scan is a reliable method used to evaluate VAG anomalies; however, its accuracy level remains debatable. Literature comparing the prevalence of C2 VAG anomalies between CCT and TPCT is limited. METHODS: A total of 200 computed tomography scans of the upper cervical spine obtained between January 2008 and December 2011 were evaluated for C2 VAG anomalies (HRVA and narrow pedicular width) using CCT and TPCT. The prevalence of C2 VAG anomalies was compared using these two different measurement methods via a McNemar's test. RESULTS: Of the 200 patients studied, 23 HRVA (6.01%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.61%-8.39%) were detected with CCT, whereas 66 HRVA (16.54%; 95% CI, 12.85%-20.23%) were detected with TPCT (p<0.001). Sixty-two narrow pedicles (15.58%; 95% CI, 11.99%-19.15%) were detected with CCT, whereas 90 narrow pedicles (22.83%; 95% CI, 18.58%-26.87%) were detected with TPCT (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: VAG anomalies are commonly observed. A preoperative evaluation using TPCT reconstructed from an existing CCT revealed a significantly higher prevalence of C2 VAG anomalies than did CCT and showed comparable prevalence to previously published studies using more sophisticated and higher risk techniques. Therefore, we propose TPCT as an alternative preoperative evaluation for C2 screw placement and trajectory planning.

Elevated vitamin D status in postmenopausal women on thiazolidinediones for type 2 diabetes.

Thiazolidenediones (TZD) have been reported to lead to non-vertebral bone loss in postmenopausal women with diabetes, but the true incidence of vertebral fractures has been under-detected because two-thirds of vertebral fractures are silent. TZD is also related to increased adiposity, with a consequently greater risk of vitamin D deficiency-both of which seem to aggravate the untoward effect of TZD on bone. The aim of this study is to determine whether TZD use is associated with prevalence of vertebral fractures and low vitamin D status in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes. A group of 102 postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes, 52 TZD users for at least 12 months, and 50 non-TZD users were enrolled in the study. Any data regarding diabetes, age at menopause, co-morbidities, and drug use were recorded. Blood sampling and thoraco-lumbar radiography were performed. Bone mineral density (BMD) of L2-L4 and the femur were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The occurrence of vertebral fractures at one level or more in subjects on TZD was higher than those not on TZD, but did not reach statistical significance (19.2 vs. 14.0%, P = 0.5). Total hip BMD in subjects on TZD was significantly lower than those not on TZD (0.96 ± 0.15 vs. 1.02 ± 0.11; P < 0.05). Levels of 25(OH)D in TZD users were significantly higher (35.3 ± 1.5 vs. 25.9 ± 1.2 ng/dl; P < 0.001). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 75.5% in subjects not on TZD compared to 34.6% in those on TZD (OR 6.4, 95% CI 2.6-15.6). Higher circulating 25(OH)D was observed in TZD users. TZD use was associated with lower total hip BMD but not with vertebral fracture.