Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Feb;15(1):42-49.
doi: 10.4055/cios22004. Epub 2022 Aug 9.

Does the Periprosthetic Fracture Pattern Depend on the Stem Fixation Method in Total Hip Arthroplasty?

Affiliations

Does the Periprosthetic Fracture Pattern Depend on the Stem Fixation Method in Total Hip Arthroplasty?

Kap-Soo Han et al. Clin Orthop Surg. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Management of periprosthetic femoral fractures (PFFs) is reportedly challenging. Different patterns of PFFs would occur based on whether stem fixation was primarily cemented or cementless and whether these patterns would be associated with clinical outcomes, such as subsidence, fracture union, and complications, after stem revision.

Methods: A retrospective comparative study was performed, involving 52 PFF patients treated with tapered fluted modular stems (TFMSs). In the 52 patients with Vancouver B2 or B3, including 21 cemented stems and 31 cementless stems, fracture patterns and bone stock were analyzed. Clinical outcomes after revision surgery using the TFMSs were compared between the two groups.

Results: Transverse or short oblique type PFFs occurred around the cemented stem with loosening at the bone-cement interface. The Paprosky type III femoral deficiency and Vancouver type B3 fracture were observed more frequently in the cemented stem group. Otherwise, spiral fractures occurred more frequently in the cementless group (p < 0.001). Excessive subsidence of > 5 mm was observed more frequently in the cemented stem group (p < 0.001). The re-revision rates were higher in the cemented group than in the cementless group (p = 0.047).

Conclusions: In our study, it was found that the patterns of transverse or oblique PFFs were more frequently produced with cemented stems, while long spiral fractures were more frequent with cementless stems. Stem subsidence and reoperation related to complications were more common in patients with PFFs around cemented stems than those with PFFs around cementless stems.

Keywords: Periprosthetic femoral fracture; Revision total hip arthoroplasty; Taper fluted modular stem.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT of INTEREST: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Preoperative radiograph obtained after a periprosthetic fracture (transverse type) around a cemented stem (Vancouver type B2) at 6 years after the index surgery in a 75-year-old woman.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Preoperative radiograph obtained after a periprosthetic fracture (long spiral type) around a cementless stem (Vancouver type B2) at 11 years after the index surgery in a 70-year-old man.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Duncan CP, Masri BA. Fractures of the femur after hip replacement. Instr Course Lect. 1995;44:293–304. - PubMed
    1. Sidler-Maier CC, Waddell JP. Incidence and predisposing factors of periprosthetic proximal femoral fractures: a literature review. Int Orthop. 2015;39(9):1673–1682. - PubMed
    1. Lindahl H, Malchau H, Herberts P, Garellick G. Periprosthetic femoral fractures classification and demographics of 1049 periprosthetic femoral fractures from the Swedish National Hip Arthroplasty Register. J Arthroplasty. 2005;20(7):857–865. - PubMed
    1. Fitzgerald RH, Jr, Brindley GW, Kavanagh BF. The uncemented total hip arthroplasty: intraoperative femoral fractures. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1988;(235):61–66. - PubMed
    1. Culp RW, Schmidt RG, Hanks G, Mak A, Esterhai JL, Jr, Heppenstall RB. Supracondylar fracture of the femur following prosthetic knee arthroplasty. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1987;(222):212–222. - PubMed

MeSH terms