Femoral Neck Stress Fractures

Can treatment of posterior malleolus fractures with tibio-fibular instability be usefully addressed by Bartonicek classification?

INTRODUCTION

Ankle fractures account for 4% of all fractures and treatment of those involving the Posterior Malleolus remains controversial. Clinical and radiological outcomes in a cohort of patients with Posterior Malleolus fractures conservatively treated were retrospectively evaluated; furthermore, a treatment algorithm was suggested.

METHODS

Patients were divided according to Bartoníček classification. The clinical evaluation was made with OMAS/AOFAS scores; the radiological evaluation with Van Dijk classification for post-traumatic arthritis.

RESULTS

Clinical outcome worsened with the severity of Bartoníček classification, but early degenerative changes were not correlated neither to the clinical outcome nor to the injury pattern. Clinical and radiological outcomes depended on the damage of the syndesmosis as articular step-offs and tibio-fibular notch involvement.

DISCUSSION

We recommend conservative treatment for Bartoníček type I, type II and type III fractures, the latter when undisplaced and without tibial plafond depression. We suggest surgical treatment for type IV and displaced type III fractures.

Bilateral subtrochanteric stress riser fractures following percutaneous screw fixation of femoral neck stress fractures: a literature review and case report

Hip and groin pain in patients at-risk for femoral neck stress fracture demand a careful workup including advanced imaging in the setting of normal radiographs. A delay in diagnosis can lead to fracture displacement, which negatively impacts outcomes. Non-displaced tension-sided fractures and displaced fractures warrant operative fixation, while non-displaced compression-side fractures can be managed conservatively. Fixation with a sliding hip screw or cephalomedullary nail is recommended over cannulated screws. In addition, all patients should undergo a metabolic workup to identify correctable parameters. We present a rare case of bilateral compression-sided basicervical femoral neck stress fractures in a non-compliant osteoporotic patient who was treated with cannulated screws. The postoperative course was complicated by bilateral subtrochanteric stress riser fractures requiring revision fixation, which could have been prevented with use of a different implant.

[Femoral neck stress fractures and femoroacetabular impingement : A retrospective case study and literature review]

BACKGROUND

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) can lead to morphologic damage of both the acetabulum and the femoral neck. Recent reports have found an association between impingement deformities and the development of femoral neck stress fractures. The aim of this study was to report a series of patients with these findings and to update the current evidence on the topic.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

5 patients (6 cases) with atraumatic femoral neck fractures and FAI were identified in the Dresden hip registry from 2015 to 2018. Demographic data, comorbidities, radiographic results and bone metabolism results were described. A literature search was conducted using keywords related to femoral neck stress fractures and FAI syndrome.

RESULTS

The average age of the series was 39 (range: 22-52), 2 patients were female and 3 male. A total of 12 surgical procedures were performed. 4 of the 5 patients showed radiographic features of pincer and/or cam-FAI, whereas 3 patients had a decreased femoral antetorsion (-7° to +7° antetorsion). In 3 patients, magnetic resonance imaging revealed additional signs of avascular necrosis ARCO I. There was a lack of FAI-specific treatment recommendations in the available literature.

DISCUSSION

Radiographic results of the patients evaluated suggested that impingement-associated deformities of the hip may cause femoral neck stress fractures, which is in line with the available literature. This potential coincidence should be integrated in diagnostic algorithms and therapeutic approaches.

Femoral neck shaft angle in relation to the location of femoral stress fracture in young military recruits: femoral head versus femoral neck stress fracture

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the influences of the femoral neck shaft angle (FNSA) on the location of the femoral stress fracture and to assess the potential differences in FNSA between fractured and normal femurs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty-seven patients with femoral stress fractures who underwent both plain hip radiographs and MRI, from January 2016 to September 2019, were retrospectively included. Patients were classified as having either femoral head stress fracture (group A, n = 26) or femoral neck stress fracture (group B, n = 11). The FNSA was measured in anteroposterior (AP) hip radiograph. The Mann-Whitney U testing was used to compare the continuous values between the two groups. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the value of FNSA for predicting the risk of femoral stress fracture.

RESULTS

The FNSA was significantly higher in group A (median 135.9°, range 129.5-138.6°) than group B (median 124.3°, range 119.5-129.0°) (p < 0.001), but there were no significant differences in other clinical factors. Furthermore, the FNSA was significantly higher at the fractured femurs (median 135.9°, range 129.9-138.6°) than contralateral normal femurs (median 127.9°, range 123.8-132.1°) in the patients with unilateral femoral head stress fracture (n = 22) (p < 0.001). The ROC analysis revealed that the area under curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity for predicting the risk of femoral head stress fracture were 0.807, 72.7%, and 68.2%, respectively, at a FNSA cutoff of 131.0°.

CONCLUSION

FNSA was associated with the location of the femoral stress fracture. In addition, FNSA could serve as a predictive factor for the risk of femoral head stress fractures.