Injury
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Outcomes after operative treatment of displaced femoral neck fractures in young adults are fraught with high complications rates including non-union and avascular necrosis. Among the therapeutic controversies that persist is the role of open reduction, which would allow surgeons a direct means to improve the quality of reduction, a predictor of successful treatment. We performed a systematic review of the literature to compare the outcomes (nonunion, avascular necrosis, and deep infection) after open reduction with internal fixation (ORIF) to closed reduction with internal fixation (CRIF) of acute (surgery performed less than 6 weeks from injury) femoral neck fractures in young adults (average age of 50 or younger) followed for at least one year. ⋯ In summary, systematic review of the literature reveals a lack of evidence in support of ORIF versus CRIF as a means of treating displaced femoral neck fractures in young patients with respect to union and avascular necrosis; however, the incidence of surgical site infections may be lower with CRIF. Firm conclusions cannot be drawn given the lack of high quality prospective studies and patient reported outcomes. In the future, randomised controlled trials will be required to test the effect of reduction method.
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Avascular necrosis (AVN) after internal fixation of intracapsular hip fractures is a progressive multifactorial disease that ultimately results in local ischemia with ensuing osteocyte necrosis and structural compromise. This disease can cause significant clinical morbidity and affects patients of any age, including young and active patients. Effective treatment of this condition among young adults is challenging due to their high functional demands. ⋯ Conversely, arthroplasty in the young adult may require repeat revision procedures throughout the patient's life. Current evidence suggests that modifications of prevailing treatments, in addition to new technologies, have led to the development of management strategies that may be able to alter the course of femoral head osteonecrosis. This review aims to summarise the options available for treatment of AVN in the young adult and review the clinical results.
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Femoral neck fractures in younger aged patients are particularly devastating injuries with profound impairments of quality of life and function. As there are multiple differences in patient and injury characteristics between young and elderly femoral neck fracture patients, the geriatric hip fracture literature is unlikely to be generalisable to patients under age 60. We conducted a systematic review to determine if clinically relevant outcome measures have been used in previously published clinical studies of internal fixation in young adults with femoral neck fractures. ⋯ Our systematic review found that the assessment of clinically relevant outcomes in the young femoral neck fracture literature is lacking, which makes utilising the literature to guide clinical practice challenging. Future studies should aim to include important radiographic measures, fracture-healing complications, functional outcomes, and health-related quality of life during any assessment of young femoral neck fracture treatment.
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Femoral neck fractures in young adults are difficult to treat. There are substantial gaps in our knowledge regarding treatment and prevention of young adult femoral neck fractures. Avoiding malunion or nonunion of these fractures after fixation remains a challenge. ⋯ Osteonecrosis remains a problem, affecting up to half of patients who sustain femoral neck fractures. Achieving reliable healing may require a reconsideration of fracture fixation implants as well as biological methods to address metabolic, endocrine, and/or genetic abnormalities that may be present in the young adult femoral neck fracture patient. Also, prevention of low-energy femoral neck fractures (e.g. stress fracture) remains an area ripe for investigation.
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Review Meta Analysis
Timing of internal fixation of femoral neck fractures. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the final outcome.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of timing of internal fixation of intracapsular fractures of the neck of femur on the development of late complications, particularly osteonecrosis of femoral head (ONFH) and non-union. We undertook a systematic review of the literature adhering to the PRISMA guidelines. There were 7 eligible reports for the final analysis. ⋯ The following subgroups analyses were a priori decided: (1) initial fracture displacement (displaced vs. undisplaced fractures); (2) fixation method (cannulated screws vs. sliding hip screw); (3) quality of reduction (anatomic vs non-anatomic reduction). This study failed to prove any essential association between timing of NOF fracture internal fixation and incidence of AVN. With respect to non-union though, it indicated that delay of internal fixation of more than 24h could increase substantially the odds of non-union.