Distal femoral fractures following total knee replacement: A series of 37 cases

Abstract

Distal femoral fractures following knee arthroplasty are uncommon. The reported frequency ranges from 0.3 to 2.5%. Treatment of such fractures remains controversial. Both operative and nonoperative methods have been proposed Conservative treatment (used for undisplaced fractures) is very demanding for patient and surgeon. Open reduction and fixation is often preferred in displaced and unstable fractures but complications are not rare and may be very severe. Good clinical results have been recently reported with intramedullary nailing in both anterograde and retrograde manner. Revision arthroplasty is also a possible treatment if there is component loosening. The purpose of this study is to report our experience with the management of distal femoral fractures after knee arthroplasty in 37 cases. We stress the difficulty of treating these fractures and the poor results obtained in terms of knee function.