Radiological Society of North America, Dec. 1 to 5

The annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America was held from Dec. 1 to 5 in Chicago, drawing participants from around the world, including radiologists, radiation oncologists, physicists in medicine, radiologic technologists, and other health care professionals. The conference featured scientific papers from a number of subspecialties covering the newest trends in radiological research, as well as education and informatics exhibits.

In an observational study, Elena Ghotbi, M.D., of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues identified an association between bone loss and levothyroxine, the second most commonly prescribed medication among older adults in the United States. The association did not include an increased prevalence of clinically significant low bone density, such as rates of osteoporosis.

The authors aimed to determine if levothyroxine use and higher thyroid hormone levels within the reference range were associated with higher bone loss with normal thyroid function. Data from the prospective, observational, Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging were evaluated.

During a median follow-up of 6.3 years, the researchers found that levothyroxine use was associated with greater loss of total body bone mass and bone density, even in participants with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels within the normal range and when accounting for baseline TSH and other risk factors.

Data also indicated that levothyroxine may be prescribed in some older adults when it is not truly indicated. However, to establish causality and clarify the potential long-term musculoskeletal risks of levothyroxine use in this population, further research, including randomized trials, is necessary, according to the authors.

“While it is too early to draw clinical conclusions based on these preliminary observational findings, the study raises important questions. For instance, thyroid hormone is sometimes initiated in patients who do not have hypothyroidism, such as for managing symptoms despite normal hormone levels,” Ghotbi said. “Patients with concerns should consider discussing their diagnosis and treatment goals with their health care provider to ensure the appropriateness of their therapy.”

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In another study, Kevin C. Yu, of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and colleagues found that concussions are related to reduced cortical excitability in the frontal cortex, which is associated with worse cognitive function.

The authors collected preseason and postseason resting-state magnetoencephalography data to identify the impacts of concussions on aperiodic activity. The Post-Concussive Symptom Inventory, a clinical evaluation tool for concussions, was used to correlate preseason and postseason physical, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms.