title: Early roentgenological grading of femoral shortening is correlated to the late outcome after femoral neck fractures.
abstract: Using orthoradiography, the distance between the centre of the femoral head and the intercondylar notch was assessed at regular intervals in 144 patients who were followed for a 2-year period after osteosynthesis of a femoral neck fracture. Late complications, such as segmental collapse and non-union, occurred in 27% of the patients. The degree of femoral shortening was significantly correlated to the incidence of late complications. At 1 month, femoral shortening of more than 5 mm was observed in 85% of patients who developed late complications, and in only 5% of patients without such complications. Thus, the observation of a shortening of more than 5 mm predicted a greater than 6-fold increase of the incidence of late complications. The prognostic accuracy of this observation 1 month after treatment was 92%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hernefalk
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Granström
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Messner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005265:Femoral Neck Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D005269:Femur / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D017102:Fracture Healing; D005599:Fractures, Ununited / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011859:Radiography; D016896:Treatment Outcome