Comparison of long-term outcomes between cannulated screw internal fixation and arthroplasty in treatment of femoral neck fractures in the elderly / 中华创伤骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To compare the long-term clinical outcomes between cannulated screw internal fixation for stable femoral neck fractures and arthroplasty for unstable ones in the elderly patients.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the 542 patients with femoral neck fracture who had been admitted to Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University from May 2015 to April 2017. The 542 patients were divided into 2 groups based on fracture stability and treatment method. In the stable group (Garden type Ⅰ, type Ⅱ, and abduction compression type) of 121 cases who underwent cannulated screw internal fixation, there were 28 males and 93 females with a mean age of (77.6±8.1) years, and 20 cases of type Ⅰ, 101 cases of type Ⅱ, and 34 cases of abduction compression type by the Garden classification. In the unstable group (Garden type Ⅲ, type Ⅳ, and type Ⅱ with a posterior tilt angle >20°) of 421 cases who underwent arthroplasty, there were 130 males and 291 females with a mean age of (78.7 ± 6.9) years, and 14 cases of type Ⅱ, 403 cases of type Ⅲ, and 4 cases of type Ⅳ by the Garden classification. The postoperative mortality, reoperation rate, and mobility at the last follow-up were compared between the 2 groups.Results:There were no statistically significant differences in the baseline characteristics, except for serum albumin concentration and peripheral white blood cell count at admission, between the 2 groups, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). The hospital stay in the stable group [5.0 (4.0, 6.0)d] was significantly shorter than that in the unstable group [6.0 (5.0, 8.0)d], and the follow-up time for the stable group [54.4 (49.3, 58.7) months] significantly longer than that for the unstable group [52.2 (46.0, 59.3) months] ( P<0.05). A total of 158 patients (45 cases in the stable group and 113 cases in the unstable group) were lost to the last follow-up. At the last follow-up, the mortality in the stable group (18.4%, 14/76) was significantly lower than that in the unstable group (31.5%, 97/308), the reoperation rate in the former (15.8%, 12/76) significantly higher than that in the latter (3.6%, 11/308), and the capability of daily activities in the former (by the fracture mobility scoring: level 1 in 35 cases, level 2 in 13 cases, level 3 in 3 cases, level 4 in 2 cases, and level 5 in 1 case) significantly better than that in the latter (level 1 in 99 cases, level 2 in 47 cases, level 3 in 24 cases, level 4 in 22 cases, and level 5 in 5 cases) (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with the arthroplasty for unstable femoral neck fractures, cannulated screw internal fixation for stable femoral neck fractures leads to a lower long-term mortality and a better capability of daily activities, but a significantly higher reoperation rate.