The effects of volar locking plates for distal radius fractures on the image quality of high-resolution peripheral...

High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) has enabled us to observe changes of bone microstructure during fracture healing. However, a method of analyzing the healing process after osteosynthesis has yet to be established due to implant artifacts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of volar locking plates for distal radius fractures on the image quality of HR-pQCT.

Four different types of plates for distal radius fractures were evaluated. The scan region of HR-pQCT was the center of each plate, not including the screw insertion sites. To assess plate-generated noise, each plate was fixed to the top of a water-filled rubber glove, scanned by HR-pQCT, and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the region under the plates was calculated. To investigate accuracy, 12 cadaveric radii with and without each plate were scanned by HR-pQCT, and differences between the measured values with and without the plate were evaluated. Differences between the measurements of the entire circumference and of the dorsal third of the radius were also compared. Reproducibility of the in vivo measurement was investigated by repeated scans of 10 patients with distal radius fractures who had undergone surgery with a volar locking plate.

The SNR was significantly higher away from the plate than immediately below the plate. Percentage differences of the measurement values between with and without the plate were 1.4%-3.2% for cortical bone mineral density (Ct.BMD) and 7.2%-9.8% for cortical bone thickness (Ct.Th) when the entire circumference was measured. When the dorsal third was measured, they were 0.3%-1.7% for Ct.BMD and 1.8%-2.7% for Ct.Th. The root-mean-square coefficient of variation (RMS%CV) was 1.12% for Ct.BMD and 4.18% for Ct.Th.

The accuracy and reproducibility of cortical bone measurements with a volar locking plate on HR-pQCT were acceptable when the dorsal third of the Ct.BMD was analyzed, and this method would be useful for in vivo analysis of the fracture healing process after osteosynthesis.