An anatomically designed implant for femoral neck fractures in young adults: A hypothesis on the role of interfragmentary compression in reducing nonunion and osteonecrosis

Abstract

The incidence of femoral neck fractures has increased in young adults. Although new implants and surgical techniques have been developed over the past decade, the rate of nonunion and osteonecrosis, which may be related to poor osteosynthesis stability, remains concerning. To address this issue, we propose a new implant model that has been anatomically designed for the proximal femur with the aim of improving the type of fixation currently used for young femoral neck fractures. Its use in Pauwels type III fractures was evaluated in synthetic models using applicability and biomechanical bench tests, as well as finite element simulations. The results suggest that this new implant could be used in clinical practice with a satisfactory biomechanical performance.