Clinical and scintigraphic evaluation of insufficiency fractures in the elderly

Abstract

Our findings demonstrate that insufficiency fractures are common in the elderly and generally occur at multiple sites. The typical H-shaped fractures are rare and their absence should not lead to any mistaken diagnosis. The patients with insufficiency fractures appear to have poor survival but this does not appear to have any significant relationship with either BMD or the number of fractures. Finally, insufficiency fracture is an important diagnosis to make because survival may be improved if specific management is used.