Relevance of adjacent joint imaging in the evaluation of ankle fractures

Characterizing and quantifying low-value diagnostic imaging internationally: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Inappropriate and wasteful use of health care resources is a common problem, constituting 10-34% of health services spending in the western world. Even though diagnostic imaging is vital for identifying correct diagnoses and administrating the right treatment, low-value imaging-in which the diagnostic test confers little to no clinical benefit-is common and contributes to inappropriate and wasteful use of health care resources. There is a lack of knowledge on the types and extent of low-value imaging. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to identify, characterize, and quantify the extent of low-value diagnostic imaging examinations for adults and children.

METHODS

A scoping review of the published literature was performed. Medline-Ovid, Embase-Ovid, Scopus, and Cochrane Library were searched for studies published from 2010 to September 2020. The search strategy was built from medical subject headings (Mesh) for Diagnostic imaging/Radiology OR Health service misuse/Medical overuse OR Procedures and Techniques Utilization/Facilities and Services Utilization. Articles in English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, or Norwegian were included.

RESULTS

A total of 39,986 records were identified and, of these, 370 studies were included in the final synthesis. Eighty-four low-value imaging examinations were identified. Imaging of atraumatic pain, routine imaging in minor head injury, trauma, thrombosis, urolithiasis, after thoracic interventions, fracture follow-up and cancer staging/follow-up were the most frequently identified low-value imaging examinations. The proportion of low-value imaging varied between 2 and 100% inappropriate or unnecessary examinations.

CONCLUSIONS

A comprehensive list of identified low-value radiological examinations for both adults and children are presented. Future research should focus on reasons for low-value imaging utilization and interventions to reduce the use of low-value imaging internationally.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO: CRD42020208072.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Acute Trauma to the Ankle

Acute injuries to the ankle are frequently encountered in the setting of the emergency room, sport, and general practice. This ACR Appropriateness Criteria defines best practices for imaging evaluation for several variants of patients presenting with acute ankle trauma. The variants include scenarios when Ottawa Rules can be evaluated, when there are exclusionary criteria, when Ottawa Rules cannot be evaluated, as well as specific injuries. Clinical scenarios are followed by the imaging choices and their appropriateness with an accompanying narrative explanation to help physicians to order the most appropriate imaging test. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

Concurrent Proximal Fractures Are Rare in Distal Forearm Fractures: A National Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION

Distal forearm fractures (DFF) account for 1.5% of emergency department (ED) visits in the United States. Clinicians frequently obtain imaging above/below the location of injury to rule out additional injuries. We sought to determine the incidence of associated proximal fractures (APF) in the setting of DFF and to evaluate the imaging practices in a nationally representative sample of EDs.

METHODS

We queried the 2013 National Emergency Department Sample using International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition, diagnostic codes for DFF and APF. Current Procedural Technology codes identified associated imaging studies. We calculated national estimates using a weighted analysis of patient and hospital-level characteristics associated with APF and imaging practices. An analysis of costs estimated the financial impact of additional imaging in patients with DFF using Medicare reimbursement to approximate costs according to the 2018 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

RESULTS

In 2013, an estimated 297,755 ED visits (weighted) were associated with a DFF, of which 1.6% (4836 cases) had an APF. The incidence of APF was lower among females (odds ratio [OR] (0.76); 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-0.91) but higher in metropolitan teaching hospitals compared to metropolitan non-teaching hospitals (OR [2.39]; 95% CI, 1.43-3.99) and Level 1 trauma centers (OR [3.9]; 95%, 1.91-7.96) compared to non-trauma centers. Approximately 40% (n = 117,948) of those with only DFF received non-wrist radiographs and 19% (n = 55,236) underwent non-wrist/non-forearm imaging. Factors independently associated with additional imaging included gender, payer, patient and hospital rurality, hospital region, teaching status, ownership, and trauma center level. Nearly $3.6 million (2018 U.S. dollars) was spent on the aforementioned additional imaging.

CONCLUSION

Despite the frequency of proximal imaging in patients with DFF, the incidence of APF was low. Further study to identify risk factors for APF based on mechanism and physical examination factors may result in reduced imaging and decreased avoidable healthcare spending.

A higher association of medial collateral ligament injury of the knee in pronation injuries of the ankle

INTRODUCTION

To evaluate the prevalence of medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury of the knee among ankle-fracture patients and to determine the risk factors associated with MCL injury in this patient group.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

303 patients (303 affected ankles) who underwent surgical treatment for an ankle fracture were assessed. Supination versus pronation injury, Danis-Weber classification, age, sex, body mass index (BMI), limb dominance, and mechanism of injury were reviewed to identify factors related to MCL injury.

RESULTS

Prevalence of MCL injury of the knee among the total number of patients with an ankle fracture was 3.96% (12 out of 303 injuries). Multivariable logistic and linear regression analysis with adjustment of possible confounding factors confirmed that female sex and pronation injury were associated significantly (p < 0.05) with MCL injury.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of MCL injury among females and the pronation type of ankle injury was 8.19% (10 out of 122 females) and 10.75% (10 out of 93 pronation injuries), respectively. More careful physical examination of the knee joint is strongly recommended in patients with ankle fractures, especially if the patient is female or the ankle-fracture pattern corresponds to the pronation type of injury.

Locking versus non-locking one-third tubular plates for treating osteoporotic distal fibula fractures: a comparative study

INTRODUCTION

Ankle fractures represent the third most common fracture in elderly patients, after hip and wrist fractures. Distal fibula fractures in this population are closely related to osteoporosis, which renders commonly used methods of internal fixation technically demanding and prone to failure. Currently there is a tendency to fix osteoporotic metaphyseal and epiphyseal fractures with locking plates. However, published accounts about the use of this technology in osteoporotic distal fibula fractures are scarce. In this study we compare the results of two groups of patients who underwent surgery for these types of fracture, one group received locking and the other non-locking screws, both using one-third tubular plates.

METHODS

Sixty-two patients, aged over 64 years, underwent surgery for osteoporotic distal fibula fractures between 2011 and 2014. Forty-five of them were stabilized with a non-locking plate and the remaining 17 with a locking plate fixation. Follow-up was performed at 4, 8, 12, 26, and 52 weeks. Results were assessed according to the AOFAS Ankle-Hindfoot Score and radiological criteria for consolidation.

RESULTS

Average time to union and AOFAS scores at 6 and 12 months were similar in both groups, including for the individual categories: function, pain, mobility, and alignment. Only time until partial weight bearing was significantly lower in the locking plate group (4.69 ± 2.63 vs 7.77 ± 4.30, p = 0.03). The most common complications were wound dehiscence and superficial infection (two cases of both).

CONCLUSIONS

Both locking and conventional non-locking plates achieved similar treatment outcomes in this group of osteoporotic patients aged over 64. However, locking plates may offer more benefits in cases that have to take into account immobilization time and concomitant soft-tissue damage.

Predicting syndesmotic injuries in ankle fractures: a new system based on the medial malleolar focus

The early establishment of the diagnosis of a syndesmotic injury is essential for treatment selection. However, such injuries may not be apparent radiographically. Previous studies have attempted to describe correlations between medial malleolar fracture geometry and syndesmotic disruption. The main objective of this study was to create predictive models for assessing syndesmotic injuries based on an originally described angle, i.e., the medial crural-focal angle (MCFA). This study included 138 ankle fractures involving the medial malleolus. Any measure from the plain radiograph that could potentially lead to the suspicion of a syndesmotic disruption was recorded, and the newly described MCFA (formed by the main line of the medial malleolus fracture and a line perpendicular to the bearing surface of the tibial plafond) was also recorded. The inter- and intraobserver reliabilities were obtained using Krippendorff's alpha coefficients. To examine the predictive abilities of every parameter, several statistical methods were applied including logistic regression, an ad hoc clinical rule, and discriminant analysis. After variable selection, we obtained the best possible logistic model. The variables that were found to be statistically significant were the MCFA, the tibiofibular clear space (TFCS) and the type of injury in the Lauge-Hansen (L-H) classification. This model was tested by cross validation, which revealed a mean percentage of correctly classified patients of 88%. A simpler and more intuitive alternative model was sought that was based solely on the influences of the MCFA and the TFCS. Our study revealed that an absence of syndesmotic disruptions when the MCFA was under 60^°, and there were no uninjured patients with tibiofibular clear space values over 6mm. Cross-validation revealed that the mean percentage of patients who were correctly classified with this model was 86%. The application of discriminant analysis to this combination of variables resulted in a function was able to correctly classify a mean of 84% of patients. In conclusion, three models that can predict syndesmotic injury using parameters from preoperative plain radiographs were obtained and validated. The MCFA measurement was in these models and found to be a reliable technique.