Trends in the Use of Weightbearing Computed Tomography.

Background

This review aimed to critically appraise the most recent orthopedic literature around cone beam weightbearing computed tomography (WBCT), summarizing what evidence has been provided so far and identifying the main research trends in the area.

Methods

This scoping review was performed on studies published between January 2013 and December 2023 on the Pubmed database. All studies (both clinical and nonclinical) in which WBCT had been used were critically analyzed to extract the aim (or aims) of the study, and the main findings related to the role of this imaging modality in the diagnostic pathway.

Results

Out of 1759 studies, 129 were selected. One hundred five manuscripts (81%) dealt with elective orthopedic conditions. The majority of the analyses (88 studies; 84%) were performed on foot and ankle conditions, while 13 (12%) studies looked at knee pathologies. There was a progressive increase in the number of studies published over the years. Progressive Collapsing Foot Deformity (22 studies; 25%) and Hallux Valgus (19 studies; 21%) were frequent subjects. Twenty-four (19%) manuscripts dealt with traumatic conditions. A particular interest in syndesmotic injuries was documented (12 studies; 60%).

Conclusions

In this review, we documented an increasing interest in clinical applications of weightbearing CT in the orthopedic field between 2013 and 2023. The majority of the analyses focused on conditions related to the foot and the ankle; however, we found several works investigating the value of WBCT on other joints (in particular, the knee).