Watson-Jones Anatomical Approach for Open Reduction and Internal Fixation of Proximal Femoral Fractures without Image Intensifier in a Low-Resource Setting

Introduction: Standard procedures for surgical fixation of proximal femoral fractures (PFF) require an image intensifier which in developing countries remains a luxury. We hypothesized that, with a well-codified technique, the Watson Jones approach (WJA) without image intensifier nor traction table, can allow open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of PFF using Dynamic hip screw (DHS), with satisfactory outcome. Patients and methods: Forty one consecutive patients (mean age 59.5 ± 21.6 years, 61% males) who were followed in a Teaching Hospital for PFF treated by ORIF using the WJA and DHS from January 2016 to December 2020 were reassessed. The outcome measures were the quality of the reduction, the positioning of the implants, the tip-apex distance (TAD), the rate and delay of consolidation, the functional results using Postel Merle d’Aubigné (PMA) score, the rate of surgical site infection (SSI) and the overall mortality. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with mechanical failure. Results: The mean follow-up period was 33.8 ± 15.0 months. Fracture reduction was good in 31 (75.6%) cases and acceptable in 8(19.5%) cases. Implant position was fair to good in 37 (90.2%) patients. The mean TAD was 26.1 ± 3.9 mm. Three patients developed SSI. Consolidation was achieved in 38 (92.6%) patients. The functional results were good to excellent in 80.5% of patients. The overall mortality rate was 7.3%. There were an association between mechanical failure and osteoporosis (p = 0.04), fracture reduction (p = 0.003), and TAD (p = 0.025). In multivariate logistic regression, no independent factors were predictive of mechanical failure. Conclusion: This study shows that ORIF using DHS for PFF via the Watson-Jones approach without an image intensifier can give satisfactory anatomical and functional outcomes in low-resource settings. It provides and validates a reliable and reproducible technique that deserves to be diffused to surgeons in austere areas over the world.

Treatment of Pathological Fractures of the Proximal Femur Due to Advanced Metastasis of Highly Malignant Tumors: A Clinical Controlled Study of Enterostenosis Reconstruction and Conservative Treatment

Objective: To investigate whether different treatment methods have an impact on the quality of life and life span after fracture of patients with proximal femoral pathological fractures caused by advanced metastasis of highly malignant tumors. Methods: Karnofsky performance status (KPS) and visual analogue score (VAS) were counted at the time of admission and 2 months after the treatments. Survival analysis was implemented to compare the median survival time and 6-month survival rate of the 2 groups. Musculoskeletal score (MSTS) was used to evaluate limb function in the surgical group at 2 months after the treatment. Results: There was no significant difference in KPS score and VAS score between the two groups at the time of admission (p > 0.05). At 2 months after treatment, the KPS score of the surgical group was higher than that of the conservative group (P < 0.05), and the VAS score of the survivors of the surgical group was lower than that of the conservative group (P < 0.05). Survival analysis showed that the median survival time and 6-month survival rate after fracture in the surgical group were higher than those in the conservative group (P < 0.05). After 2 months of treatment, the average MTST score of survivors in the surgical group was 20.38 ± 0.9 (16 - 26 points). Conclusion: Surgical intervention can benefit patients with pathological fractures of the proximal femur due to metastasis of highly malignant tumors in terms of quality of life and survival. Local tumor resection and endoparasitic replacement, which can be tolerated by most patients, can effectively reconstruct the limb function of these patients and restore their self-care ability.

Proximal Femoral Nailing: Getting the Trajectory Right

Getting the trajectory of the proximal femoral nail in the right direction is essential to achieve a good result in the technically demanding surgery of proximal femoral fracture. Either an inappropriate starting point or a failure to match the chosen implant’s lateral entry angle may cause coronal plane deformity after trochanteric entry nailing. The lateral view is the critical view for localization of the proper starting point. For the right execution of the surgery, getting the trajectoy right is fully under the control of the surgeon and should always be attempted.

Complex proximal femoral fracture in a young patient followed up for 3 years: A case report

BACKGROUND Ipsilateral femoral neck and intertrochanteric fractures in young patients are extremely rare,and there is no reference for fracture classification and treatment options.CASE SUMMARY We report a 27-year-old male patient who sustained ipsilateral femoral neck and intertrochanteric fractures and was treated with a proximal femoral locking compression plate(PFLCP).The literature on these fractures was also reviewed.At the last follow-up three years after surgery,the patient had no obvious pain in the hip,and the range of motion in the hip joint was slightly limited,but met the normal life and work needs.There were no complications such as necrosis of the femoral head.CONCLUSION The PFLCP can be used to treat these complex proximal femoral fractures,and selection should be based on the patient's specific fractures.

Lateral cortex blowout during PFNA blade insertion in a subtrochanteric fracture - Should bone quality determine the type of nail used？

Subtrochanteric fractures pose a therapeutic challenge to the surgeons. With the advent of proximal femoral nails, most of the cases are treated with nailing. Newer nails like proximal femoral nail antirotation （PFNA） require the blade to be directly hammered into the bone compared to older nails where the screws are drilled and tapped before insertion. We report one such case in a middle aged female that had intraoperative lateral cortex blowout during PFNA blade insertion in a sclerotic bone. This occurrence to the best of our knowledge is unreported in literature. It is therefore imperative to consider the quality of bone before a decision is made on the implant chosen.