“Pathological” fractures in spinal cord injuries and disorders: Insight into International classification of diseases, ninth revision coding

This study investigates pathological fractures in veterans with spinal cord injuries or disorders (SCID). It examines whether these fractures, often excluded from osteoporosis studies, are actually related to osteoporosis. The research compares veterans with pathological fractures to those with non-pathological fractures, looking at factors like injury characteristics and fracture causes. It also includes expert opinions on what defines a pathological fracture. The findings suggest that most pathological lower extremity fractures in SCID patients are due to osteoporosis. The study concludes that these fractures should be considered in osteoporosis research to avoid underestimating the condition's impact.

• 1
  Approximately 2% of lower extremity fractures in Veterans with SCID were coded as pathological fractures.
• 2
  Among those with pathological fractures, about 76.9% were secondary to osteoporosis, a similar proportion to non-pathological fractures (82.4%).
• 3
  The study found that the reasons for coding a fracture as pathological are not always clear and may relate to the amount of trauma or differing provider opinions.