Treatment of Vancouver B3 periprosthetic femur fractures with a fluted tapered stem

Abstract

Periprosthetic femur fractures around a hip arthroplasty associated with a loose stem and severely deficient or comminuted bone typically have been treated with substitution for the proximal femur using an allograft prosthetic composite or a tumor prosthesis. Eight patients (mean age, 68 years; range, 34-80 years) with Vancouver Type B3 femur fractures were treated with revision using a long modular fluted tapered uncemented stem with retention of the proximal femur. Access to the failed prosthesis and joint was gained through the fracture or osteotomy and soft tissue attachments to the fracture fragments were maintained. One patient died within 1 week. The remaining patients were followed up 1 to 2 years (mean, 1.5 years). At final followup, all patients had stable implants and all acute fractures were healed. Marked reconstitution of proximal femoral bone stock was observed consistently. All surviving patients were ambulatory and none had more than mild pain. The preliminary results of this method show a high rate of stable implant fixation and fracture healing with preservation and reconstitution of the host femur.