Improved radiological diagnosis of osteoporotic vertebral fragility fractures following UK-wide interventions and re-audit—can this be maintained and translated into clinical practice?
Authors' conclusion
The 2022 national re-audit confirmed improvements in radiology diagnostic performance and practice in VFF reporting.
Study context
- Population
- Patients > 70 years with non-traumatic CT studies including the thoracolumbar spine where the spine was not the area of clinical interest; 50–100 consecutive studies per site, UK
- Exposure
- Re-audit 2022 vs initial audit 2019, after UK-wide interventions
- Outcome
- Reporting of moderate/severe VFFs and its potential economic, morbidity and mortality impact
Methodological detailsUK-wide, complete audit cycle, patient-specific and organisational questionnaires, Genant grading, Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) Benefits Calculator modelling
- UK-wide
- Complete audit cycle
- Patient-specific and organisational questionnaires
- Genant grading
- ROS Benefits Calculator modelling
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Reporting of moderate/severe VFFs
6% interval increase in reporting of moderate/severe vertebral fragility fractures (VFFs) between the 2019 and 2022 audits
26 to 32%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Incidence of VFFs in the 2022 audit
- Incidence of VFFs in the 2022 audit
- 21.7%
Additional patients potentially diagnosed with a VFF (extrapolated, UK)
- Additional patients potentially diagnosed with a VFF
- 23,420
- ≈1.8 million non-trauma CT studies, patients > 70 years, UK 2022
Predicted hip fractures in year one (ROS Benefits Calculator)
- Hip fractures predicted with no treatment
- 890
- Hip fractures with initiation of treatment
- 328
- Hip fractures prevented
- 562
- Potential cost saving
- £13,207,000
Original publication
Improved radiological diagnosis of osteoporotic vertebral fragility fractures following UK-wide interventions and re-audit—can this be maintained and translated into clinical practice? Osteoporos Int. Published 22 April 2025. doi:10.
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