title: Surgical approach to bone healing in osteoporosis.
abstract: Osteoporotic fractures represent one of the most common cause of disability and one of the major voice in the health economic budget in many countries of the world. Fragility fractures are especially meta-epiphyseal fractures, in skeletal sites with particular biomechanic characteristic (hip, vertebrae), complex and with more fragments, with slow healing process (mineralization and remodeling) and co-morbidity. The healing of a fracture in osteoporotic bone passes through the normal stages and concludes with union of the fracture although the healing process is prolonged. Fractures in the elderly osteoporotic patients represent a challenge to the orthopaedic surgeons. Osteoporosis does not only increase the risk of fracture but also represents a problem in osteofixation of fractures in fracture treatment. The major technical problem that surgeons face, is the difficulty to obtain a stable fixation of an implant due to osteoporotic bone. The load transmitted at the bone-implant interface can often exceed the reduced strain tolerance of osteoporotic bone.IN THE TREATMENT OF OSTEOPOROTIC FRACTURES IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER DIFFERENT ASPECTS: general conditions of elderly patient and comorbidity, the reduced muscular and bone mass and the increased bone fragility, structural modifications as medullary expansion.The aim of surgical treatment is to obtain a stable fixation that reduces pain and permits an early mobilization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Methodology and Surgical Techniques, Orthopedics Section II, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pesce
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Speciale
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sammarco
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patella
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spinarelli
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Patella