Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38072887›Full record

ArticlePediatric radiology2024

Reporting of paediatric osteoporotic vertebral fractures in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and potential impact on clinical management: the need for standardised and structured reporting.

H Martin, A Henderson, R Allen, A M Childs, J Dunne, I Horrocks, S Joseph, J K Kraft, K Ward, T Mushtaq and 3 more

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pediatric radiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 38% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Vertebral fractures and muscle function in glucocorticoid-treated individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a cohort study.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

H MartinDepartment of Paediatric Endocrinology, Royal Hospital for Children, 1345 Govan Road, Glasgow, G51 4TF, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3499-6366
A HendersonDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, Leeds, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-8228-737X
R AllenDepartment of Paediatric Radiology, Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, UK.
A M ChildsDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, Leeds, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7378-4369
J DunneDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, UK.
I HorrocksDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, UK.
S JosephDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, UK.
J K KraftDepartment of Paediatric Radiology, Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, Leeds, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2705-1302
K WardDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, UK.
T MushtaqDepartment of Paediatric Endocrinology, Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, Leeds, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9890-7369
A MasonDepartment of Paediatric Endocrinology, Royal Hospital for Children, 1345 Govan Road, Glasgow, G51 4TF, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2303-5789
A KyriakouDepartment of Paediatric Endocrinology, Makarios Children's Hospital, Nicosia, Cyprus.
S C WongDepartment of Paediatric Endocrinology, Royal Hospital for Children, 1345 Govan Road, Glasgow, G51 4TF, UK. jarod.wong@glasgow.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0003-2845-6555
Royal Hospital for Children · GBLeeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust · GBArchbishop Makarios III Hospital · CY

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), initiation of bisphosphonate is recommended upon identification of moderate or severe vertebral fractures, even if asymptomatic. Clear radiological reporting is important for consistency of clinical interpretation and management.

objectivesTo audit radiology reports of spine imaging for vertebral fracture assessment in DMD, and assess potential impact on diagnosis and management. MATERIALS AND

methodsLateral thoracolumbar spine imaging (71 lateral spine radiographs and 13 lateral dual energy absorptiometry spine image) in 84 boys with DMD performed across two centres. Anonymised radiology reports by paediatric radiologists were circulated to two neuromuscular clinicians and two endocrinologists. Clinicians determined if there was vertebral fracture, no vertebral fracture, or unclear interpretation. Endocrinologists also determined if bisphosphonate was indicated. A single observer (a clinician with expertise in vertebral fracture assessment) performed vertebral fracture assessment in 37 images and re-reported using a structured format. Structured reports were re-circulated to the four clinicians to re-evaluate the degree of concordance in clinical diagnosis of vertebral fracture and treatment decisions with bisphosphonate.

resultsThe term "fracture" was used in 25/84 (30%) radiology reports and only in 8/43 (19%) with description of vertebral body abnormalities. Fracture grading was included in 7/43 (16%) radiology reports. Diagnostic concordance by the clinicians was noted in 36/84 (43%). Unclear interpretation was noted in 22% to 51% based on radiology reports. No unclear interpretation was noted with structured reports. Complete diagnostic (37/37, 100%) and treatment (37/37, 100%) concordance was noted with the structured reports, whereas complete diagnostic and treatment concordance was noted in only 16/37 (43%) and 17/37 (46%) of the radiology reports, respectively.

conclusionOnly a third of radiology reports of spine imaging in DMD explicitly used the terminology "fracture". Grading was only noted in a small percentage. Variability in diagnostic interpretation by clinicians may lead to differing management plans. As identification of vertebral fracture is a trigger for treatment, developing reporting guidelines for paediatric vertebral fracture assessment will improve care. A structured template should be introduced for radiological reporting of paediatric vertebral fracture assessment.

Indexed as

Muscular Dystrophy, DuchenneOsteoporotic FracturesSpinal FracturesChildDiphosphonatesHumansMaleSpineDiphosphonatesChildrenDiagnostic imagingDual-energy X-ray absorptiometryDuchenne muscular dystrophyRadiographyVertebral fracture

Identifiers

PMID38072887
PMCPMC10776500
OpenAlexW4389553889

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.