Internal fixation of femoral neck fractures in the elderly

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the outcome of the old patients who were treated for femoral neck fractures in our hospital during 2000-2007. Methods A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate outcomes of the 139 old patients who had received internal fixation for femoral neck fractures in our department during 2000-2007. The mechanism of injury, duration between injury and hospitalization, severity of fracture, anamnesis, time of hospital stay, anaesthesia, operation, postoperative complications, fracture healing, in-cidence of avascular necrosis of femoral head, failure of fixation, and functional restoration of the patients were documented. Results Fracture healing was found in 126 cases (90.6%). Time to healing ranged from 2 to 20 months (average, 6.2 months). Failure of fixation and nonunion were found in 13 cases (9.4%). Avascular necrosis of femoral head occurred in 9 cases (6.5% ). Of them, 81 patients(58.3%) restored their gait as normal as before whereas 50 patients(36.0%) walked with crutches. Conclusions Internal fix-ation can be suggested for old patients with femoral neck fracture, considering a high rate of fracture healing and a low rate of avascular necrosis of the femoral head. Early operation is recommended if the general con-dition of the patient has been well controlled. Key words: Femoral fractures; Fracture fixation, internal; Aged