The Effect of Bolus Vitamin D Supplementation on Distal Radius Fracture Healing: A Randomized Controlled Trial Using HR-pQCT.

Vitamin D is an important factor in bone metabolism. Animal studies have shown a positive effect of vitamin D supplementation on fracture healing, but evidence from clinical trials is inconclusive. A randomized controlled trial was performed to assess the effects of vitamin D supplementation on fracture healing using HR-pQCT-based outcome parameters.

Assessment of the healing process in distal radius fractures by high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

In clinical practice, fracture healing is evaluated by clinical judgment in combination with conventional radiography. Due to limited resolution, radiographs don't provide detailed information regarding the bone micro-architecture and bone strength. Recently, assessment of in vivo bone density, architectural and mechanical properties at the microscale became possible using high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) in combination with micro finite element analysis (μFEA).

Early changes in bone density, microarchitecture, bone resorption, and inflammation predict the clinical outcome 12 weeks after conservatively treated distal radius fractures: an exploratory study.

Fracture healing is an active process with early changes in bone and inflammation. We performed an exploratory study evaluating the association between early changes in densitometric, structural, biomechanical, and biochemical bone parameters during the first weeks of fracture healing and wrist-specific pain and disability at 12 weeks in postmenopausal women with a conservatively treated distal radius fracture. Eighteen patients (aged 64 ± 8 years) were evaluated at 1 to 2 and 3 to 4 weeks postfracture, using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT), micro-finite element analysis, serum procollagen type-I N-terminal propeptide (P1NP), carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP), and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP).