[Bilateral fractures of the femoral head (Pipkin I and Pipkin II)]

Abstract

The author describes a rare case of bilateral dislocation of the hip joint accompanied by fracture of the femur head. The fracture (Pipkin I) on the left side was treated conservatively and the fracture (Pipkin II) on the right side surgically. At 18 months of follow-up, both fractures were healed but the fragment of the operated femoral head had a tendency to develop osteoporosis. Aseptic necrosis was absent, as evidenced by bone scan. Both hip joints, however, showed signs of developing arthritis, with clinical findings being less serious on the non-operated joint. The author discuses all cases of bilateral Pipkin fractures reported in the literature and be concluded that there is no report on a coincident occurrence of type I and type II fractures. When comparing conservative and surgical approaches to similar types of fractures, the author recommends the use of conservative therapy.