| Title |
Value and potential limitations of vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) compared to conventional spine radiography: experience from a fracture liaison service (FLS) and a meta-analysis
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Osteoporosis International, August 2017
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00198-017-4137-6 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
F. Malgo, N. A. T. Hamdy, C. H. J. M. Ticheler, F. Smit, H. M. Kroon, T. J. Rabelink, O. M. Dekkers, N. M. Appelman-Dijkstra |
| Abstract |
We evaluated the value of VFA in the identification of vertebral fractures using a retrospective study and a meta-analysis. Performance of VFA was adequate in the meta-analysis although this was not demonstrated in our centre. We recommend checking the performance of VFA tools before exclusively relying on this tool. Vertebral fractures are traditionally diagnosed using conventional radiographs of the spine. Vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) has been advocated as an alternative tool in the diagnosis of these fractures. We conducted a retrospective study as well as a systematic review and a meta-analysis to evaluate the performance of VFA compared to conventional spinal radiography in patients who had sustained a fracture and thus at risk for osteoporosis. A risk of bias analysis was also performed. The diagnostic study included 542 patients (25% male) with fractures. The sensitivity of low-radiation VFA to detect a patient with a vertebral fracture ≥ Genant grade 2 was 0.77 and its specificity 0.80. Two hundred ninety-seven (55%) patients had ≥1 and 135(25%) ≥3 unevaluable vertebrae. The systematic review identified 16 studies including a total of 3238 subjects (19% male) with a mean age range of 45 to 74 years. Seven studies had a low risk of bias and 9 had an intermediate risk, mainly due to not consecutively including patients. The pooled sensitivity of VFA to detect a patient with a vertebral fracture ≥Genant grade 2 was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.72-0.92) and specificity 0.90 (95% CI, 0.84-0.94). Our findings from the meta-analysis suggest an adequate performance of VFA for the detection of vertebral fractures. However, we could not demonstrate these findings in our center, especially the specificity. Our data advocate caution with exclusively relying on VFA in the assessment of vertebral fractures without identifying performance and potential limitations of the technique. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 3 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 1 | 33% |
| India | 1 | 33% |
| Switzerland | 1 | 33% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 33% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 33% |
| Members of the public | 1 | 33% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 59 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 59 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Bachelor | 10 | 17% |
| Student > Master | 8 | 14% |
| Researcher | 7 | 12% |
| Student > Postgraduate | 7 | 12% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 4 | 7% |
| Other | 7 | 12% |
| Unknown | 16 | 27% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 23 | 39% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 5 | 8% |
| Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 2 | 3% |
| Physics and Astronomy | 1 | 2% |
| Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 1 | 2% |
| Other | 4 | 7% |
| Unknown | 23 | 39% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 5. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 24 April 2020.
All research outputs
#6,210,955
of 22,999,744 outputs
Outputs from Osteoporosis International
#1,075
of 3,672 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#98,225
of 316,647 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Osteoporosis International
#24
of 67 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 22,999,744 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 72nd percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 3,672 research outputs from this source. They typically receive more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 7.6. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 70% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 67 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 62% of its contemporaries.