Vertebral Fracture: Likelihood Ratios

Introduction: as a serious cause of back pain. See also Spinal Tumor as another serious cause. Red Flags are supposed to help the clinician distinguish serious from non-serious (strain and/or disc bulge) causes of back pain.

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Prevalence

The likelihood ratios of findings for Vertebral Fracture are listed below. See the left navigation bar to change the display.

Good Positive and Negative Likelihood Ratios

Finding	+LR	-LR	Comments, Study
Red Flags	15.8	0.4	for 2/4 criteria: Age>70 Female Sig Trauma Prolonged steroid use Sens/spec for 1/4 was 88%/50%; for 3/4 was 38%/100% Study: Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Oct;60(10):3072-80. PMID: 19790051
Clinical diagnosis	inf	0.5	Study: Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Oct;60(10):3072-80. PMID: 19790051
Age	12.5	0.5	age > 70 Study: Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Oct;60(10):3072-80. PMID: 19790051

Good Positive Likelihood Ratio

Finding	+LR	-LR	Comments, Study
History of Corticosteroid Use	inf	0.8	"prolonged use" Study: Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Oct;60(10):3072-80. PMID: 19790051
Trauma	12.5	0.8	major trauma in adults or minor in elderly Study: Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Oct;60(10):3072-80. PMID: 19790051