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Summary This retrospective database study assessed 2-year persistence with bisphosphonates or denosumab in a large German cohort of women with a first-time prescription for osteoporosis treatment. Compared with intravenous or oral bisphosphonates, 2-year persistence was 1.5–2 times higher and risk of discontinuation was significantly lower ( P  < 0.0001) with denosumab. Introduction Persistence with osteoporosis therapies is critical for fracture risk reduction. Detailed data on long-term persistence (≥2 years) with bisphosphonates and denosumab are sparse. Methods From the German IMS® database, we included women aged 40 years or older with a first-time prescription for bisphosphonates or denosumab between July 2010 and August 2014; patients were followed up until December 2014. The main outcome was treatment discontinuation, with a 60-day permissible gap between filled prescriptions. Two-year persistence was estimated using Kaplan–Meier survival curves, with treatment discontinuation as the failure event. Denosumab was compared with intravenous (i.v.) and oral bisphosphonates separately. Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs) for the 2-year risk of discontinuation were calculated, with adjustment for age, physician specialty, health insurance status, and previous medication use. Results Two-year persistence with denosumab was significantly higher than with i.v. or oral bisphosphonates (39.8 % [ n  = 21,154] vs 20.9 % [i.v. ibandronate; n  = 20,472] and 24.8 % [i.v. zoledronic acid; n  = 3966] and 16.7–17.5 % [oral bisphosphonates; n  = 114,401]; all P  < 0.001). Patients receiving i.v. ibandronate, i.v. zoledronic acid, or oral bisphosphonates had a significantly increased risk of treatment discontinuation than did those receiving denosumab (HR = 1.65, 1.28, and 1.96–2.02, respectively; all P  < 0.0001). Conclusions Two-year persistence with denosumab was 1.5–2 times higher than with i.v. or oral bisphosphonates, and risk of discontinuation was significantly lower with denosumab than with bisphosphonates. A more detailed understanding of factors affecting medication-taking behavior may improve persistence and thereby reduce rates of fracture.

SummaryPersistence with osteoporosis therapy is vital for fracture prevention. This non-interventional study of postmenopausal women receiving denosumab in Germany, Austria, Greece, and Belgium found that persistence with denosumab remains consistently high after 24 months in patients at high risk of fracture.PurposeContinued persistence with osteoporosis therapy is vital for fracture prevention. This non-interventional study of clinical practice evaluated medication-taking behavior of postmenopausal women receiving denosumab in Germany, Austria, Greece, and Belgium and factors influencing persistence.MethodsSubcutaneous denosumab (60 mg every 6 months) was assigned according to prescribing information and local guidelines before and independently of enrollment; outcomes were recorded during routine practice for up to 24 months. Persistence was defined as receiving the subsequent injection within 6 months + 8 weeks of the previous injection and adherence as administration of subsequent injections within 6 months ± 4 weeks of the previous injection. Medication coverage ratio (MCR) was calculated as the proportion of time a patient was covered by denosumab. Associations between pre-specified baseline covariates and 24-month persistence were assessed using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsThe 24-month analyses included 1479 women (mean age 66.3–72.5 years) from 140 sites; persistence with denosumab was 75.1–86.0%, adherence 62.9–70.1%, and mean MCR 87.4–92.4%. No covariate had a significant effect on persistence across all four countries. For three countries, a recent fall decreased persistence; patients were generally older with chronic medical conditions. In some countries, other covariates (e.g., older age, comorbidity, immobility, and prescribing reasons) decreased persistence. Adverse drug reactions were reported in 2.3–6.9% patients.ConclusionsTwenty-four-month persistence with denosumab is consistently high among postmenopausal women in Europe and may be influenced by patient characteristics. Further studies are needed to identify determinants of low persistence.

Summary Changes of the bone formation marker PINP correlated positively with improvements in vertebral strength in men with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO) who received 18-month treatment with teriparatide, but not with risedronate. These results support the use of PINP as a surrogate marker of bone strength in GIO patients treated with teriparatide. Introduction To investigate the correlations between biochemical markers of bone turnover and vertebral strength estimated by finite element analysis (FEA) in men with GIO. Methods A total of 92 men with GIO were included in an 18-month, randomized, open-label trial of teriparatide (20 μg/day, n  = 45) and risedronate (35 mg/week, n  = 47). High-resolution quantitative computed tomography images of the 12th thoracic vertebra obtained at baseline, 6 and 18 months were converted into digital nonlinear FE models and subjected to anterior bending, axial compression and torsion. Stiffness and strength were computed for each model and loading mode. Serum biochemical markers of bone formation (amino-terminal-propeptide of type I collagen [PINP]) and bone resorption (type I collagen cross-linked C-telopeptide degradation fragments [CTx]) were measured at baseline, 3 months, 6 months and 18 months. A mixed-model of repeated measures analysed changes from baseline and between-group differences. Spearman correlations assessed the relationship between changes from baseline of bone markers with FEA variables. Results PINP and CTx levels increased in the teriparatide group and decreased in the risedronate group. FEA-derived parameters increased in both groups, but were significantly higher at 18 months in the teriparatide group. Significant positive correlations were found between changes from baseline of PINP at 3, 6 and 18 months with changes in FE strength in the teriparatide-treated group, but not in the risedronate group. Conclusions Positive correlations between changes in a biochemical marker of bone formation and improvement of biomechanical properties support the use of PINP as a surrogate marker of bone strength in teriparatide-treated GIO patients.

Trotz der hohen Inzidenz der Osteoporose, des hohen Folgefrakturrisikos nach einer ersten Fraktur und effektiver Therapiemöglichkeiten besteht in Deutschland und auch weltweit ein erhebliches Defizit in der Diagnostik und Therapie der an Osteoporose leidenden Patientinnen und Patienten. Die Gründe hierfür sind vielfältig und sowohl bei den Ärzten als auch bei den Patienten sowie in systemimmanenten Fehlsteuerungen zu suchen. Der vorliegende Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über die Herausforderungen in der Behandlung von Osteoporosepatienten und zeigt Möglichkeiten zur Verbesserung der Versorgung im ambulanten Bereich auf. Hinsichtlich des genauen Ablaufs der Diagnostik und Therapie der Osteoporose wird auf das Kitteltaschenformat der aktuellen Leitlinie des Dachverband Osteologie (DVO) verwiesen.

Trotz der hohen Inzidenz der Osteoporose, des hohen Folgefrakturrisikos nach einer ersten Fraktur und effektiver Therapiemöglichkeiten besteht in Deutschland und auch weltweit ein erhebliches Defizit in der Diagnostik und Therapie der an Osteoporose leidenden Patientinnen und Patienten. Die Gründe hierfür sind vielfältig und sowohl bei den Ärzten als auch bei den Patienten sowie in systemimmanenten Fehlsteuerungen zu suchen. Der vorliegende Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über die Herausforderungen in der Behandlung von Osteoporosepatienten und zeigt Möglichkeiten zur Verbesserung der Versorgung im ambulanten Bereich auf. Hinsichtlich des genauen Ablaufs der Diagnostik und Therapie der Osteoporose wird auf das Kitteltaschenformat der aktuellen Leitlinie des Dachverband Osteologie (DVO) verwiesen.

Transient osteoporosis or the bone marrow oedema syndrome is described as a self-limiting disorder. Transient osteoporosis usually affects only one bone, predominantly the proximal femur. Involvement of the foot is rare and often overlooked. A disorder of the navicular bone of the foot can be found twice in the literature. We report a case of transient osteoporosis of the navicular bone of the foot in a 20-year-old, female, top-level track athlete (400 m sprinter) treated with alendronate, and a review of the literature. The therapeutic options are limited, frequently consisting of non-specific, symptomatic therapy. Some authors report favourable results with core decompression, while others have reported good results with a conservative regime of symptomatic treatment and avoidance of weight-bearing until the clinical and radiological changes have resolved. In the described case, the patient had a favourable result after a short course of treatment with alendronate. She experienced almost immediate pain reduction and presented a complete resolution of the abnormal signal intensity on MRI. This rapid result makes the use of alendronate seem promising in athletes with transient osteoporosis, permitting an early return to high-level activities.

The causes of knee pain are manifold. One of the uncommon causes of chronic anterior knee pain are cysts and ganglia. Magnetic resonance imaging not only reveals the intra‐articular pathology but also accurately depicts such cystic structures about the knee. As part of this case report, a cyst of the lateral border of the quadriceps tendon is presented as a cause of such discomfort. Although cystic lesions around the knee are a common clinical problem, the described location is rare. After surgical revision of the lateral border of the quadriceps tendon and excision of the cyst, the patient was found to be asymptomatic.

Mit zunehmender Lebenserwartung der Bevölkerung und stetig steigender medizinischer Kompetenz steigt auch die Zahl älterer, häufig abwehrgeschwächter Patienten. Immunkompromittierte Patienten bedürfen sowohl bei der Diagnosestellung als auch der Therapie der bakteriellen Osteitis besonderer Beachtung.

In the age of growth factors and gene therapy, the induction of cartilage healing remains an unsolved problem. Even in autologous grafting, one of the preferred methods of treatment for focal osteochondral lesions, chondral integration remains difficult. This study aims to define a possible positive influence of growth factor augmentation on the ingrowth of these transplants. In an ovine model, questions regarding the healing of osteochondral transplants under the influence of two different growth factors were to be addressed. Two osteochondral autologous transplantations (OAT), one in the weight-bearing surface of each femoral condyle, were performed on the ovine knee using the standard operative protocol. One of the grafts was bathed in augmented PBS containing 50 microg bFGF or bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 directly prior to implantation, while the other condyle served as the control. Two groups, consisting of eight sheep each, were evaluated for each growth factor after 6 months. During the evaluation of all the specimens, neither osteophytes nor synovial changes were observed. The mechanical consistency of the cartilaginous tissue began to reach a level equivalent to the surrounding tissue at 6 months, independent of the use of growth factor. Macroscopically, the superficial border of the transplanted osteochondral plug could easily be outlined in all groups, while the cartilage interface of the bFGF specimens was determined to be less demarcated than the BMP augmented plugs or the controls. Radiographically, a solid osteointegration of the graft could be documented at 6 months in the native and augmented groups. In contrast, integration of the chondral surface of the OAT was not seen macro- or microscopically in any specimen, even though cartilage surfaces remained viable. A firm physical interdigitation of the reconstructed joint surface could not be demonstrated in either of the two augmented groups or the control population. The augmentation with bFGF and BMP-2 stimulated the osseous ingrowth and seems to expedite the remodelling process, but was not able to improve chondral healing. The lack of integration of the cartilaginous portion of the transplanted plugs into the reconstructed joint surface, even following the augmentation with bFGF and BMP-2, does not bode well for the long-term survival of the joint itself.