PURPOSE To determine the outcome of treatment for minimally displaced femoral neck fractures using multiple threaded pins versus sliding compression screws for internal fixation. METHODS The medical records of 62 consecutive elderly patients with minimally displaced intra-capsular femoral neck fractures who underwent internal fixation of the fracture (37 with multiple threaded pins, and 25 wi...

BACKGROUND Femoral neck fractures in the elderly are frequent, represent a great health care problem, and have a significant impact on health insurance costs. Reconstruction options using hip arthroplasty include unipolar or bipolar hemiarthroplasty (HA), and total hip arthroplasty (THA). The purpose of this review is to discuss the indications, limitations, and pitfalls of each of these techni...

BACKGROUND Several factors are known to influence osseous union of femoral neck fractures. Numerous clinical studies have reported different results, hence with different recommendations regarding treatment of Pauwels III fractures: femoral neck fractures with a more vertically oriented fracture line. The current study aimed to analyze biomechanically whether this fracture poses a higher risk o...

Pathological fracture is a rare but serious complication of radiotherapy. We report on a 44-year-old man who presented with a subtrochanteric femoral fracture 15 years after radiotherapy for a soft-tissue sarcoma in the thigh. We discuss its potential causes, a scoring system to identify high-risk patients for prophylactic intramedullary nailing of the femur, and radiographic signs to identify ...

Intramedullary locking nails have proved to be of considerable advantage when treating complex, comminuted or segmental femoral shaft fractures. We have reviewed 117 patients with 120 femoral shaft fractures treated with the Strasbourg device. These included 20 compound fractures, 13 pathological fractures and two non-unions. Rehabilitation and union rates have been very satisfactory and there ...

Retrograde femoral rodding is a technique that has recently been used with increasing frequency for the management of supracondylar and femoral shaft fractures. A review of the literature reveals that this technique may have advantages over other fixation techniques in certain clinical situations. Retrograde femoral rodding allows the surgeon to treat bilateral lower extremity injuries simultan...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of femoral nerve blocks in patients with fractures of the neck of the femur. Thirty-six patients with femoral neck fractures attending the accident department over a three month period received femoral blocks from one of the two authors. The effect of the block was assessed both subjectively and objectively. Thirty patients reported a wo...

BACKGROUND Stress fractures are overuse injuries that historically afflict a large number of military recruits, likely because of the sudden increase of high-intensity activity, such as running and marching. CASE A 23-year-old male U.S. Air Force recruit presented with hip pain during his second week of basic training and was diagnosed with bilateral femoral neck stress fractures, grade 4 on ...

Concomitant ipsilateral shaft and femoral neck or pertrochanteric fractures are uncommon. They result from high-energy traumas and the mechanism of injury is usually complex. The proximal fracture is often not displaced and may be hardly visible on x-rays. Overlooking the proximal fracture may result in therapeutic problems. The best method of treatment is by closed stabilization of both fractu...