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Background: Osteoporosis and fragility fracture are the major complications after liver transplantation (LT). The aim of the study was to determine the incidence and risk factors of hip fracture after LT., Methods: We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study, enrolling the patients receiving LT between January 1999 and December 2010. Control subjects were randomly matched to every recipient by age and sex by 1 : 10 ratios., Results: During the follow-up period, 17 recipients (0.77%) and 70 (0.32%) control subjects suffered from hip fractures. The incident rates (per 10000 person-years) were 21.49 for recipients and 7.52 for controls (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.71; 95% confidence interval = 1.21-6.05). The cumulative incidence of hip fracture was significantly higher among the recipients ( p < 0.0001). Among the recipients, the subjects aged >65 years at transplantation and with pretransplant steroid use are more susceptible to posttransplant hip fracture. Immunosuppressive agents did not significantly affect the risk of hip fracture among recipients., Conclusions: Liver transplantation is a risk factor for hip fractures. Aged >65 years at transplantation and pretransplant steroid use are risk factors for posttransplant hip fractures among the recipients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2019 Yung-Cheng Chiu et al.)

Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) is a potentially fatal disease that can stimulate prominent systemic inflammation. Osteoporotic hip fracture is a major complication of systemic inflammation. This study tried to determine the epidemiology of hip fractures among PLA patients. All subjects admitted due to PLA during 1999∼2010 were assessed, excluding the subjects with a history of high energy trauma, malignancy, and previous hip fracture. We matched the control subjects to PLA patients according to age, gender, and the coding of osteoporosis by 1 : 4 ratio. The PLA patients had a 1.17-fold risk of hip fracture than the controls (aHR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.07–1.29) after adjusting for gender, age, and comorbidities. Considering death as the competing event of suicide, the PLA patients had 1.10-fold suicide risk (aHR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00–1.21) than the control subjects under the competing risks regression model. The cumulative incidence of hip fracture was higher in the PLA cohort (log-rank test, p < 0.001). When compared to the controls, the fracture risk was 18.4-fold (aHR = 18.4, 95% CI = 13.0–26.1) for the PLA patients admitted 2-3 times per year and 46.0-fold (aHR = 46.0, 95% CI = 31.2–67.8) for the PLA patients admitted ≧4 times per year. The impact of PLA is more prominent among the subjects aged <45 years (aHR = 2.81, 95% CI = 1.42–5.56). Preventive measures for hip fracture might be warranted for PLA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Cholangitis is the infectious disease involving the biliary tract, which may induce systemic inflammation. Bone loss is a well-known sequelae after systemic inflammatory disease, and one grave complication after osteoporosis is hip fracture. We want to know whether cholangitis can contribute to increased risk of hip fracture. Methods. All the patients diagnosed with cholangitis since January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2009, were assessed. All the subjects with cancer history, traumatic accident, and previous fracture were excluded. We selected the controls without cholangitis and matched the controls to cholangitis patients by age, sex, osteoporosis, and the use of steroid for more than 30 days by approximately 1:4 ratio. Results. There were 2735 subjects in the cholangitis cohort and 10915 in the noncholangitis cohort. There were 101 hip fractures in the cholangitis cohort with the incidence density of 7.58 per 1000 person-years. As for the noncholangitis cohort, 366 individuals suffered from hip fracture with the incidence density of 5.86 per 1000 person-years. The risk of hip fracture was higher in the cholangitis cohort with a 1.29-fold increased risk than the noncholangitis cohort (hazard ratio = 1.29, 95% confidence interval = 1.03-1.61). The association between cholangitis and the hip fracture was more prominent among subjects less than 65 years (hazard ratio = 2.65, 95% confidence interval =1.30-5.39) and the subjects without comorbidities (hazard ratio = 3.01, 95% confidence interval = 1.42-6.41). Conclusions. Cholangitis is associated with higher risk for hip fracture, especially among young subjects free from medical comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long-term alendronate therapy may lead to atypical femoral fractures in a very few patients. However, the management protocol to optimize fracture healing remains undetermined. The purpose of this study was to describe the time to union of atypical femoral fractures after surgical nailing in patients on long-term alendronate therapy, with continuation of alendronate or discontinuation of alendronate, and administration of bone-forming agents. Findings: From January 2004 to December 2011, the records of patients at our institution on long-term alendronate therapy for more than 36 months and sustaining atypical femoral fractures that had undergone surgical nailing, with continuation of alendronate or discontinuation of alendronate and administration of bone-forming agents were reviewed. During the 8-year study period, we treated 10 atypical femoral fractures with surgical nailing in 7 consecutive osteopenic or osteoporotic patients on long-term alendronate therapy for more than 36 months. There were no post-operative complications or needs for revision surgery. All fractures achieved union during follow-up. Mean union time was 23.5 months (range, 18-31 months) for 6 fractures with continuation of alendronate after surgery, and 4.5 months (range, 4-5 months) for 4 fractures with discontinuation of alendronate and administration of bone-forming agents after surgery. Conclusions: Discontinuation of alendronate and administration of bone-forming agents after surgical nailing may promote union of atypical femoral fractures in patients on long-term alendronate therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background context Absence or inadequate filling of cement in the fractured vertebrae can cause unsatisfactory results in a vertebroplasty. Repeated needle insertion can reduce the incidence of recollapse at the cemented vertebrae. However, when inserting the second needle in the usual method, it takes the same time and radiation exposure as the first needle. Purpose To report a Kirschner wire-guided technique for inserting a second needle into inadequately filled vertebrae in vertebroplasty that can make the procedure simple, effective, and, most importantly, reduce the radiation exposure. Study design Description of a modified surgical technique with retrospective data analysis. Patient sample From January 2012 to December 2012, 87 percutaneous vertebroplasties were performed in our department to treat painful osteoporotic compression fractures. Seven adult patients (five women, two men; mean age: 75.7 years) had inadequate cement filling in the treated vertebrae that required the insertion of a second needle. Outcome measures Back pain was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS). The post-vertebroplasty anterior vertebral height and local kyphotic angle were used as the radiologic parameters. Intraoperative procedure time and fluoroscopy shots and postoperative complication were also evaluated. Methods The stylus of the first needle was inserted into the trocar to push the cement out of the trocar. The stylus was removed, a small diameter K-wire was inserted into the trocar, and the trocar was then removed. A second (new) trocar was inserted into the vertebral body following the track of the K-wire. When the new trocar reached the posterior 1/4 of the vertebral body, the K-wire was removed, the stylus was inserted, and the new needle was advanced to the anterior third of the vertebra. Cement was then injected into the new area until the filling was adequate. Results The immediate post-vertebroplasty anterior vertebral height was 23.31±1.95 mm, changed to 22.20±3.72 mm at final follow-up. The VAS decreased from a mean of 8.4 before vertebroplasty to 1.6 at the final follow-up. The follow-up duration ranged from 6 to 15 months (mean 12.6 months). There was no case of recollapse of the cemented vertebrae and no procedure-related complications. The procedure time of historical controls was 153.5 seconds, which reduced to 47.9 seconds by using this technique. The fluoroscopy shots of historical controls were 9.7 shots, which reduced to 2 shots by using this technique. Conclusions This report suggests that Kirschner wire-guided technique for inserting a second needle during vertebroplasty could make the procedure simple, effective, and, most importantly, reduce the procedure time and radiation exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Purpose: Patients with un-relieved pain after vertebroplasty due to re-collapse of the cemented vertebrae have been reported. Here we report a technique of vertebroplasty that can reduce the incidence of re-collapse at the cemented vertebrae. Materials and methods: Between March 2002 and September 2008, 134 patients with 205 painful vertebral compression fractures underwent vertebroplasty in our institutes. The indication of using this technique was unfilled area more than 25% of the vertebral body height in lateral radiograph. The vertebroplasty procedure was performed according to the technique described by Jensen. If the unfilled area were more than 25% of the vertebral body height in lateral radiograph, another needle would be inserted aiming at the unfilled area. As outcome measurement, a visual analog scale with 10 divisions and plain radiographs (to measure the anterior vertebral body height of cemented vertebrae) were used. Results: Thirteen vertebrae were treated with this technique. The mean age was 74.4years. The immediate post-vertebroplasty anterior vertebral height was 24.92±3.59mm, changed to 23.52±3.54mm at final follow-up. The visual analog scale decreased from a mean of 8.7 before vertebroplasty to 2.3 at final follow-up. The follow-up duration ranged from 15 to 38 months (mean 18.5 months). There was no case of re-collapse of the cemented vertebrae, and no procedure-related complications. Conclusion: In the treatment of vertebral compression fractures by percutaneous vertebroplasty, repeat needle insertion to the unfilled area may be helpful to decrease the incidence of re-collapse of cemented vertebrae if the unfilled area is more than 25% of the vertebral body height in lateral radiograph. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]