School of Biomedical Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Image Processing, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
Guangdong Work Injury Rehabilitation Center, Guangzhou 510440, China.
Biomed Res Int. 2021 Jan 25;2021:8834795. doi: 10.1155/2021/8834795. eCollection 2021.
The positive effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on bone fracture healing has been proved. However, during the period of LIPUS therapy, it is undetermined whether LIPUS promotes the formation of heterotopic ossification (HO), which usually occurs in muscle tissues after trauma such as bone fracture and spinal cord injury. Here, we used 6-week LIPUS therapy in a 42-year-old Chinese male patient with a fracture nonunion in combination with ultrasonography for monitoring fracture healing and HO formation. After the LIPUS therapy, the mineralized bone formation in the area of defect of the distal tibia was presented in an ultrasound image, which was consistent with the outcome of plain radiography showing callus formation and the blurred fracture line in the area exposed to LIPUS. In addition, ultrasound images revealed no evidence of HO development within soft tissues during the period of LIPUS therapy. This study suggests that ultrasonography is a potential tool to guarantee the performance of LIPUS therapy with monitoring HO formation. Easy to use, the integration of the handheld ultrasound scanner and the ultrasonic therapeutic apparatus is entirely dedicated to help orthopedists make high-quality care and diagnosis.
低强度脉冲超声（LIPUS）对骨折愈合的积极作用已得到证实。然而，在 LIPUS 治疗期间，尚不确定 LIPUS 是否会促进异位骨化（HO）的形成，HO 通常发生在创伤后，如骨折和脊髓损伤后的肌肉组织中。在这里，我们使用 6 周的 LIPUS 治疗结合超声监测骨折愈合和 HO 形成，对一名 42 岁的中国男性骨折不愈合患者进行了治疗。在 LIPUS 治疗后，超声图像显示在胫骨远端缺损区域有矿化骨形成，这与 X 线平片显示的骨痂形成和 LIPUS 暴露区域骨折线模糊的结果一致。此外，在 LIPUS 治疗期间，超声图像未显示软组织内有 HO 形成的证据。本研究表明，超声是一种有潜力的工具，可以保证 LIPUS 治疗的效果，并监测 HO 的形成。该手持式超声扫描仪与超声治疗设备的集成完全致力于帮助骨科医生提供高质量的护理和诊断。
