Rationale of CIRRO
Musculoskeletal diseases constitute a large burden for the health-care system, the society and for each individual patient. With an elderly population (>67 years) increasing by 50% until 2030, and an obesity epidemic, this burden will increase and there is need to develop more effective and better preventive and treatment methods. In musculoskeletal research precise evaluation methods is a prerequisite to reach these goals.
Clinical research is compared to basic research, often dependent on imprecise methods. The number of patients needed to demonstrate a difference between two treatment methods is therefore large. In musculoskeletal research common methods like plain radiographs are imprecise for detecting healing of bone, loss of bone (osteoporosis), body-composition and movement of implants or positions of joints. During the last decades more precise methods have been developed1. We have established a centre for radio-stereometric analysis (RSA) and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). With RSA small movements of implants or joints can be measured with a precision of less than 0.1 mm for translation and 0.3° for angular movements. With DXA bone remodelling and body composition can be measured precisely within a few percent.
Clinical research is compared to basic research, often dependent on imprecise methods. The number of patients needed to demonstrate a difference between two treatment methods is therefore large. In musculoskeletal research common methods like plain radiographs are imprecise for detecting healing of bone, loss of bone (osteoporosis), body-composition and movement of implants or positions of joints. During the last decades more precise methods have been developed1. We have established a centre for radio-stereometric analysis (RSA) and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). With RSA small movements of implants or joints can be measured with a precision of less than 0.1 mm for translation and 0.3° for angular movements. With DXA bone remodelling and body composition can be measured precisely within a few percent.