title: Fracture of the shaft of the femur at the apex of the stem of a femoral prosthesis.
abstract: Five cases are described of fracture of the femoral shaft at the apex of the prosthetic stem of a femoral prosthesis. Four were treated by compression fixation using a specially modified plate. In the fifth case the prosthesis was loose so it was replaced using a femoral component with an elongated stem to fix the fracture. The author suggests a hypothesis to explain such fractures, which are by no means a rare complication of arthroprosthesis of the hip.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001860:Bone Plates; D001863:Bone Screws; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal; D006622:Hip Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged