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Karolinska Institute researchers have identified a way of easing the burden of future osteoporotic fractures by analyzing historical radiology images, according to data presented at the RSNA 2010

Karolinska Institute researchers have identified a way of easing the burden of future osteoporotic fractures by analyzing historical radiology images, according to data presented at the 2010 congress of the Radiological Society of North America ( RSNA 2010 ). Millions of euros can be saved through a structured osteoporosis prevention program.

A study of 8,257 patients at the Karolinska Institute (Stockholm, Sweden) used Sectra ’s patented Digital X-ray Radiogrammetry (DXR) method to identify patients that subsequently suffered from a hip fracture.

Osteoporosis is an under-diagnosed and under-treated disease. According to a report from the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions on the quality of care in Sweden, only 14% of patients with a fracture are later treated for osteoporosis, while 60-70% are targeted for treatment.

Despite first fracture being a strong indicator of future osteoporotic fractures, only 10-20% of these patients are prescribed treatment. Convenient tools and systematic ways of working are key to the detection of the disease. This study shows that hospitals, regions or even countries can easily single out the patients in need of treatment without adding more than Sectra’s service, dxr-online, to images acquired in clinical practice. Today, the majority of all radiology images are digital and there is thus huge potential to reduce the future cost of osteoporosis-related fractures using radiology databases.

The study showed that BMD (Bone Mineral Density) is lower in patients who suffer from a hip fracture in subsequent years. Images taken in clinical practice of patients with low-energy fractures formed the basis of the study. For further details, refer to the scientific abstract.

Source: Sectra