title: Predictable healing of femoral neck fractures treated with intraoperative compression and length-stable implants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A healed, yet shortened, femoral neck has historically been deemed a success in fracture treatment. This, however, comes at the price of diminished physical function and quality of life. We analyzed the outcomes of our treatment algorithm, which attempts to minimize postoperative shortening of femoral neck fractures and determined which preoperative factors were associated with femoral neck shortening and failure of surgical fixation.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is level IV retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-four patients underwent open reduction and internal fixation for acute femoral neck fracture with nonsliding constructs. The collapse of the femoral neck in the horizontal (X), vertical (Y), and along the resultant along the (Z) vector (X+Y=Z) was measured on anteroposterior radiographs corrected for leg rotation. The migration of the superior-most screw tip in all axes was measured. Age, gender, Garden grade, and Pauwel's angle were analyzed for their association with shortening or failure of surgical fixation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average age of the patients was 78.1 years. There were 23 Garden I, 2 Garden II, 14 Garden III, and 15 Garden IV fractures. Fifty-one (94%) healed successfully without complications. The minimum follow-up was 9 months (average, 17.6 months; range, 9-30 months). Surgical fixation failed in two patients, and one patient developed avascular necrosis. The average displacement of the femoral head and the screw tip was 1.23, 0.86, 1.98 mm and 0.7 mm, 0.9 mm, and 1.7 mm in the X, Y, and Z (resultant) vectors, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With careful consideration to reduction, we fixed femoral neck fractures with nonsliding constructs, resulting in a high union rate with very minimal shortening of the femoral neck.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York, USA. bsreevathsa@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: Sreevathsa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boraiah
authors.forename: Omesh
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Sommer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hammoud
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Helfet
authors.forename: Dean G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Lorich
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001863:Bone Screws; D005260:Female; D005265:Femoral Neck Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000379:methods*; D017102:Fracture Healing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome