title: Early changes in bone density, microarchitecture, bone resorption, and inflammation predict the clinical outcome 12 weeks after conservatively treated distal radius fractures: an exploratory study.
abstract: Fracture healing is an active process with early changes in bone and inflammation. We performed an exploratory study evaluating the association between early changes in densitometric, structural, biomechanical, and biochemical bone parameters during the first weeks of fracture healing and wrist-specific pain and disability at 12 weeks in postmenopausal women with a conservatively treated distal radius fracture. Eighteen patients (aged 64 ± 8 years) were evaluated at 1 to 2 and 3 to 4 weeks postfracture, using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT), micro-finite element analysis, serum procollagen type-I N-terminal propeptide (P1NP), carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP), and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP). After 12 weeks, patients rated their pain and disability using Patient Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) questionnaire. Additionally, Quick Disability of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) questionnaire and active wrist range of motion was evaluated. Linear regression models were used to study the relationship between changes in bone parameters and in hsCRP from visit 1 to 2 and PRWE score after 12 weeks. A lower PRWE outcome, indicating better outcome, was significantly related to an early increase in trabecular bone mineral density (BMD) (β -0.96 [95% CI -1.75 to -0.16], R(2)  = 0.37), in torsional stiffness (-0.14 [-0.28 to -0.004], R(2)  = 0.31), and to an early decrease in trabecular separation (209 [15 to 402], R(2)  = 0.33) and in ICTP (12.1 [0.0 to 24.1], R(2)  = 0.34). Similar results were found for QuickDASH. Higher total dorsal and palmar flexion range of motion was significantly related to early increase in hsCRP (9.62 [3.90 to 15.34], R(2)  = 0.52). This exploratory study indicates that the assessment of early changes in trabecular BMD, trabecular separation, calculated torsional stiffness, bone resorption marker ICTP, and hsCRP after a distal radius fracture provides valuable information regarding the 12-week clinical outcome in terms of pain, disability, and range of motion and validates its use in studies on the process of early fracture healing. © 2014 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Movement Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Research School NUTRIM, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Centre on Aging and Mobility, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ursina
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Joost J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: Sandrine G P
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Bours
authors.forename: András P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Keszei
authors.forename: Jacobus J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Arts
authors.forename: Peter R G
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Brink
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Menheere
authors.forename: Tineke A C M
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: van Geel
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van Rietbergen
authors.forename: Joop P W
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: van den Bergh
authors.forename: Piet P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Geusens
authors.forename: Paul C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Willems
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015519:Bone Density; D001862:Bone Resorption / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D011884:Radius / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011885:Radius Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D064232:Visual Analog Scale
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS OF BONE TURNOVER; BIOMECHANICS; BONE QCT/MICRO-CT; INJURY/FRACTURE HEALING; OSTEOPOROSIS