Heal rate of metatarsal fractures: A propensity-matching study of patients treated with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) vs. surgical and other treatments

IntroductionWhether to treat metatarsal fractures conservatively or surgically is controversial. We test a hypothesis that metatarsal fractures treated conservatively with non-invasive low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) obtain heal rates comparable to current surgical techniques.Patients and methodsThis is a retrospective observational cohort study, using patient outcomes from a prospectively-collected LIPUS registry required by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Registry data were collected over a 5-year period and were reviewed and validated by a registered nurse. Data required for analysis were days-to-treatment (DTT) with LIPUS and a dichotomous outcome of healed versus failed, as assessed by clinical and radiographic criteria. Registry patients (DTT < 365 days) were propensity-matched to metatarsal fracture patients from a health claims database that includes medical and drug expenses for ∼90.1 million patients. The propensity match was based on patient demographic data (age, gender, body weight, fracture severity, and smoking status).ResultsA total of 594 metatarsal fractures were treated with LIPUS, including 161 Jones fractures. Compared to patients in the claims database, LIPUS-treated patients were more likely to: be overweight or obese; be male; have open fracture; and smoke (all, P < 0.0001), suggesting that these variables were perceived as nonunion risk factors by prescribing physicians. After propensity-matching, none of these differences between the registry and the health claims database remained significant. The heal rate with LIPUS treatment was 97.3%, comparable to the heal rate of 95.3% among claims patients in 2011 who did not receive LIPUS (P = 0.0654). When fresh fractures (0–90 days) and delayed unions (91–365 days) were analyzed separately, the LIPUS fresh fracture heal rate was superior to claims patients (P = 0.0381), and the delayed union heal rate was comparable. After exclusion of registry patients who received surgery, heal rate with LIPUS alone (97.4%) was significantly better (P < 0.0097) than the heal rate for matched patients in 2011 (94.2%).ConclusionsLIPUS significantly improved the heal rate of metatarsal fractures <1 year old without surgery (P = 0.0097). Metatarsal fractures treated with LIPUS alone have a heal rate comparable to fractures treated by surgical intervention.