Device-specific weighted T-score for two quantitative ultrasounds: operational propositions for the management of osteoporosis for 65 years and older women in Switzerland.

The World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for the diagnosis of osteoporosis are mainly applicable for dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements at the spine and hip levels. There is a growing demand for cheaper devices, free of ionizing radiation such as promising quantitative ultrasound (QUS). In common with many other countries, QUS measurements are increasingly used in Switzerland without adequate clinical guidelines. The T-score approach developed for DXA cannot be applied to QUS, although well-conducted prospective studies have shown that ultrasound could be a valuable predictor of fracture risk. As a consequence, an expert committee named the Swiss Quality Assurance Project (SQAP, for which the main mission is the establishment of quality assurance procedures for DXA and QUS in Switzerland) was mandated by the Swiss Association Against Osteoporosis (ASCO) in 2000 to propose operational clinical recommendations for the use of QUS in the management of osteoporosis for two QUS devices sold in Switzerland. Device-specific weighted "T-score" based on the risk of osteoporotic hip fractures as well as on the prediction of DXA osteoporosis at the hip, according to the WHO definition of osteoporosis, were calculated for the Achilles (Lunar, General Electric, Madison, Wis.) and Sahara (Hologic, Waltham, Mass.) ultrasound devices. Several studies (totaling a few thousand subjects) were used to calculate age-adjusted odd ratios (OR) and area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) for the prediction of osteoporotic fracture (taking into account a weighting score depending on the design of the study involved in the calculation). The ORs were 2.4 (1.9-3.2) and AUC 0.72 (0.66-0.77), respectively, for the Achilles, and 2.3 (1.7-3.1) and 0.75 (0.68-0.82), respectively, for the Sahara device. To translate risk estimates into thresholds for clinical application, 90% sensitivity was used to define low fracture and low osteoporosis risk, and a specificity of 80% was used to define subjects as being at high risk of fracture or having osteoporosis at the hip. From the combination of the fracture model with the hip DXA osteoporotic model, we found a T-score threshold of -1.2 and -2.5 for the stiffness (Achilles) determining, respectively, the low- and high-risk subjects. Similarly, we found a T-score at -1.0 and -2.2 for the QUI index (Sahara). Then a screening strategy combining QUS, DXA, and clinical factors for the identification of women needing treatment was proposed. The application of this approach will help to minimize the inappropriate use of QUS from which the whole field currently suffers.

Head-to-head comparison of length of stay, patients' outcome and satisfaction in Switzerland before and after SwissDRG-Implementation in 2012 in 2012: an observational study in two tertiary university centers.

On 1 January 2012 Swiss Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG), a new uniform payment system for in-patients was introduced in Switzerland with the intention to replace a "cost-based" with a "case-based" reimbursement system to increase efficiency. With the introduction of the new payment system we aim to answer questions raised regarding length of stay as well as patients' outcome and satisfaction. This is a prospective, two-centre observational cohort study with data from University Hospital Basel and the Cantonal Hospital Aarau, Switzerland, from January to June 2011 and 2012, respectively. Consecutive in-patients with the main diagnosis of either community-acquired pneumonia, exacerbation of COPD, acute heart failure or hip fracture were included. A questionnaire survey was sent out after discharge investigating changes before and after SwissDRG implementation. Our primary endpoint was LOS. Of 1,983 eligible patients 841 returned the questionnaire and were included into the analysis (429 in 2011, 412 in 2012). The median age was 76.7 years (50.8% male). Patients in the two years were well balanced in regard to main diagnoses and co-morbidities. Mean LOS in the overall patient population was 10.0 days and comparable between the 2011 cohort and the 2012 cohort (9.7 vs 10.3; p = 0.43). Overall satisfaction with care changed only slightly after introduction of SwissDRG and remained high (89.0% vs 87.8%; p = 0.429). Investigating the influence of the implementation of SwissDRG in 2012 regarding LOS patients' outcome and satisfaction, we found no significant changes. However, we observed some noteworthy trends, which should be monitored closely.

The role of teriparatide in sequential and combination therapy of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is complicated by the occurrence of fragility fractures. Over past years, various treatment options have become available, mostly potent antiresorptive agents such as bisphosphonates and denosumab. However, antiresorptive therapy cannot fully and rapidly restore bone mass and structure that has been lost because of increased remodelling. Alternatively recombinant human parathyroid hormone (rhPTH) analogues do increase the formation of new bone material. The bone formation stimulated by intermittent PTH analogues not only increases bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mass but also improves the microarchitecture of the skeleton, thereby reducing incidence of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures. Teriparatide, a recombinant human PTH fragment available in Switzerland, is reimbursed as second-line treatment in postmenopausal women and men with increased fracture risk, specifically in patients with incident fractures under antiresorptive therapy or patients with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis and intolerance to antiresorptives. This position paper focuses on practical aspects in the management of patients on teriparatide treatment. Potential first-line indications for osteoanabolic treatment as well as the benefits and limitations of sequential and combination therapy with antiresorptive drugs are discussed.

Imagerie par DXA: le couteau suisse multifonction [DXA imaging: the multifunction Swiss army knife?].

Les importants progrès dans la qualité et la résolution des images obtenues par «absorptiométrie biphotonique à rayons X» ou DXA ont amélioré certaines modalités existantes et favorisé le développement de nouvelles fonctions permettant d'affiner de manière significative la prise en charge de nos patients dans diverses pathologies. On peut par exemple améliorer la prédiction du risque fracturaire par l'analyse indirecte de la micro et de la macroarchitecture osseuse, rechercher les marqueurs de pathologies associées (recherche de fractures vertébrales ou de fractures fémorales atypiques), ou évaluer le statut métabolique par la mesure de la composition corporelle. Avec les appareils DXA les plus performants, on pourra bientôt déterminer l'âge osseux, estimer le risque cardiovasculaire (par la mesure de la calcification de l'aorte abdominale), ou prédire la progression de l'arthrose articulaire et son évolution après la prise en charge chirurgicale dans la routine clinique. The significant progress on the quality and resolution of the images obtained by "Dual X-ray Absorptiometry" or DXA has permitted on one hand to improve some existing features and on the other to develop new ones, significantly refining the care of our patients in various pathologies. For example, by improving the prediction of fracture risk by indirect analysis of micro- and macro-architecture of the bone, by looking for markers of associated bone diseases (research vertebral fractures or atypical femoral fractures), or by assessing the metabolic status by the measurement of body composition. With the best performing DXA devices we will soon be able, in clinical routine, to determine bone age, to estimate cardiovascular risk (by measuring the calcification of the abdominal aorta) or to predict the progression of joint osteoarthritis and its evolution after surgical management.

Trabecular bone score in type 1 diabetes--a cross-sectional study.

UNLABELLED: Trabecular bone score (TBS) seems to provide additive value on BMD to identify individuals with prevalent fractures in T1D. TBS did not significantly differ between T1D patients and healthy controls, but TBS and HbA1c were independently associated with prevalent fractures in T1D. A TBS cutoff <1.42 reflected prevalent fractures with 91.7 % sensitivity and 43.2 % specificity. INTRODUCTION: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) increases the risk of osteoporotic fractures. TBS was recently proposed as an indirect measure of bone microarchitecture. This study aimed at investigating the TBS in T1D patients and healthy controls. Associations with prevalent fractures were tested. METHODS: One hundred nineteen T1D patients (59 males, 60 premenopausal females; mean age 43.4 ± 8.9 years) and 68 healthy controls matched for gender, age, and body mass index (BMI) were analyzed. The TBS was calculated in the lumbar region, based on two-dimensional (2D) projections of DXA assessments. RESULTS: TBS was 1.357 ± 0.129 in T1D patients and 1.389 ± 0.085 in controls (p = 0.075). T1D patients with prevalent fractures (n = 24) had a significantly lower TBS than T1D patients without fractures (1.309 ± 0.125 versus 1.370 ± 0.127, p = 0.04). The presence of fractures in T1D was associated with lower TBS (odds ratio = 0.024, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.001-0.875; p = 0.042) but not with age or BMI. TBS and HbA1c were independently associated with fractures. The area-under-the curve (AUC) of TBS was similar to that of total hip BMD in discriminating T1D patients with or without prevalent fractures. In this set-up, a TBS cutoff <1.42 discriminated the presence of fractures with a sensitivity of 91.7 % and a specificity of 43.2 %. CONCLUSIONS: TBS values are lower in T1D patients with prevalent fractures, suggesting an alteration of bone strength in this subgroup of patients. Reliable TBS cutoffs for the prediction of fracture risk in T1D need to be determined in larger prospective studies.

A comparison of injuries among children and adult football (soccer) players

Football is a universal and an affordable game but we need to minimize the incidence of accidents among the increasing number of young football players. Our 11 year retrospective epidemiological study (1990-2000) of football injuries in children (N= 1000) was compared with those of adult players in the 2006 European Championship. This comparative study confirmed that the anatomical, biomechanical and biological conditions differ between adults and children and that they warrant particular attention to protect the latter vulnerable group against bone avulsions, overuse pathologies and fatigue-fractures. Injuries were shown to increase significantly with age up to 16 years (P=0.005). Children suffer mainly from contusions, fractures and sprain injuries. Head injuries were more common in boys (P=0.070), while girls were more prone to sprains. The types of injuries differ between adults and children (sprain versus fractures), the anatomical location of injuries is different (lower limbs in adults, lower and upper limbs in children), the circumstances of the injuries are different (contact in adults versus non-contact in children), and teenage girls have different types of injuries than teenage boys. An increased incidence of injuries is due to changes in the position of the center of gravity and in the morphotype during rapid growth. For these reasons it is mandatory to adapt the training to the age and sex of the players. It is unsafe to train children the same way as adults. The height, the weight and the speed of growth must be taken into account by the multidisciplinary team when organising the training programmes. -- Le football fait partie des sports les plus pratiqués au monde en raison de sa popularité et de son accessibilité économ ique. L'incidence des blessures liées à cette pratique doit être diminuée surtout chez les jeunes joueurs en raison de la croissance exponentielle du nombre de joueurs féminins et masculins. Une étude épidémiologique rétrospective sur 11 ans (1990-2000) a été réalisée chez les enfants victimes de blessures liées au football (N==1000), puis a été comparée aux données recueillies de l'UEFA lors d'un Championnat Européen en 2006 sur les lésions des joueurs adultes. Cette étude comparative confirme que les structures anatomiques, biologiques et les tensions biomécaniques chez l'enfant diffèrent de celles de l'adulte. Les enfants ont un risque plus élevé de souffrir d'avulsion osseuse et de fractures de fatigue que les adultes. Les blessures augmentent significativement avec l'âge jusqu'à 16 ans (P==0,005). Les traumatismes crâniens sont plus fréquents chez les garçons tandis que les entorses sont plus à risque chez les filles. Les adultes font plus souvent des entorses tandis que les enfants font plus de fractures. La localisation anatomique diffère également entre ces deux groupes (les membres inférieurs chez l'adulte et les membres inférieurs et supérieurs chez l'enfant). La circonstance des blessures diffère également (choc avec un autre joueur chez l'adulte et des blessures sans contact chez l'enfant). Chez les adolescents, les blessures des filles diffèrent de celles des garçons. L'augmentation chez les enfants de cette incidence est liée au déplacement lors de la croissance du centre de gravité, avec une maladresse accrue lors des phases de croissance. Pour toutes ces raisons, il est justifié d'adapter les entraînements de football en fonction de l'âge, du sexe et du morphotype. L'entrainement des enfants doit être différent de celui des adultes. Le poids, la taille et la vitesse de croissance doit être prise en compte dans des structures multidisciplinaires afin de permettre une meilleure longévité sportive des jeunes joueurs de football.

Étude de faisabilité pour une mesure fiable de la mobilité après fracture du membre inférieur chez l'enfant

Introduction : Les fractures du membre inférieur (MI) de l'enfant traitées par immobilisation plâtrée engendrent une modification significative de la mobilité exacerbée en cas d'obésité. L'accéléromètre est un outil d'évaluation du degré d'activité physique (AP) de l'enfant scientifiquement validé. Il n'a jamais fait l'objet d'étude chez un enfant ayant souffert d'une fracture du MI. Le but de ce travail était d'identifier les problèmes dans l'utilisation d'un accéléromètre comme moyen de mesure de l'AP après fracture nécessitant une décharge du MI. Une adaptation de la réhabilitation post-traumatique en fonction du BMI pourrait alors être proposée. Méthode : Identification d'enfants âgés de 8 et 15 ans, victimes d'une fracture du membre inférieur, consultant aux urgences de l'Hôpital de l'Enfance d'octobre 2013 à mai 2014 et nécessitant une décharge post-traumatique. Etaient exclus les enfants polytraumatisés ou souffrants d'un déficit mental. Données pré-requises des patients: âge, poids, taille, sexe, mécanisme de l'accident, type de fracture et traitement. Proposition de port d'un Actiwatch® Spectrum au poignet et cheville pour la période de remobilisation en décharge. Identification des avantages et problèmes liés à l'usage de l'appareil durant les premiers 30 jours de la période de réhabilitation. Importance : L'absence totale d'étude sur la mobilité post-fracture, la complexité des problèmes liés à la marche en décharge, les contraintes de l'immobilisation plâtrée et la prévalence grandissante de l'obésité pédiatrique justifient la recherche d'un moyen fiable pour quantifier la mobilité d'un enfant en décharge après traumatisme du MI. Résultats : Sur 43 fractures du MI traitées à l'HEL durant la période de l'étude, 13 enfants identifiés, dont 1 exclu pour maladie psychiatrique, 1 refus de participation, 2 transferts immédiats, 2 non inclus pour causes pratiques. Sept garçons âgés de 11 à 16 ans ont accepté le port de l'Actiwatch® pour une durée variant entre 7 et 27 jours (moyenne 15). Nombre d'activités (NA) médians de 5 enfants: 171,79 ±105,37 [cpm]* à J1 et 219,48 ±145,52 [cpm] à J5. NA totales médianes sur 24h : 114'072±44'791 [cpm] à J1 et 234'452 ±134'775 [cpm] à J5. Une dynamique de regain de mobilité est mise en évidence avec intensités maximales et minimales du nombre d'activités pour chacun. La médiane du temps de sommeil des 5 enfants était de 716± 45,5 [mn]. Les problèmes rencontrés ont été d'ordre mécanique (Un Actiwatch® fut défectueux), d'ordre pratique (un perdu et rendu tardivement, un port intermittent, une réaction allergique au bracelet à 4j de port). Conclusions La compliance à l'utilisation de l'Actiwatch® sur toute la durée de la décharge n'était pas optimale. La mobilité moyenne des enfants était objectivable de par leur dynamique, leur intensité maximale et minimale et comparables vis-à-vis de certaines études. Une différence avec les sujets en surpoids est observable. La durée de sommeil de chaque enfant suggère que l'antalgie administrée en cours de traitement est suffisante. Utiliser ce capteur de manière prolongée et sur un grand collectif d'enfants serait un moyen fiable et simple d'objectiver la dynamique de reprise de l'activité physique chez ces patients. Profil de l'étude : observation de cas.

A Meta-Analysis of Trabecular Bone Score in Fracture Risk Prediction and Its Relationship to FRAX.

Trabecular bone score (TBS) is a gray-level textural index of bone microarchitecture derived from lumbar spine dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) images. TBS is a bone mineral density (BMD)-independent predictor of fracture risk. The objective of this meta-analysis was to determine whether TBS predicted fracture risk independently of FRAX probability and to examine their combined performance by adjusting the FRAX probability for TBS. We utilized individual-level data from 17,809 men and women in 14 prospective population-based cohorts. Baseline evaluation included TBS and the FRAX risk variables, and outcomes during follow-up (mean 6.7 years) comprised major osteoporotic fractures. The association between TBS, FRAX probabilities, and the risk of fracture was examined using an extension of the Poisson regression model in each cohort and for each sex and expressed as the gradient of risk (GR; hazard ratio per 1 SD change in risk variable in direction of increased risk). FRAX probabilities were adjusted for TBS using an adjustment factor derived from an independent cohort (the Manitoba Bone Density Cohort). Overall, the GR of TBS for major osteoporotic fracture was 1.44 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.35-1.53) when adjusted for age and time since baseline and was similar in men and women (p > 0.10). When additionally adjusted for FRAX 10-year probability of major osteoporotic fracture, TBS remained a significant, independent predictor for fracture (GR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.24-1.41). The adjustment of FRAX probability for TBS resulted in a small increase in the GR (1.76, 95% CI 1.65-1.87 versus 1.70, 95% CI 1.60-1.81). A smaller change in GR for hip fracture was observed (FRAX hip fracture probability GR 2.25 vs. 2.22). TBS is a significant predictor of fracture risk independently of FRAX. The findings support the use of TBS as a potential adjustment for FRAX probability, though the impact of the adjustment remains to be determined in the context of clinical assessment guidelines. © 2015 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.