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Osteosynthesis and Trauma Care 2005; 13(2): 76-81
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-836332
Original Article

© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Stability of Screw Fixation of Femoral Neck Fractures - A Biomechanical Trial

J. Schmidt1 , R. Letsch2 , J. Kühling1 , T. Baranek5 , U. Niebergall3 , G. Bogusch4
  • 1Department of Trauma-, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, HELIOS Klinikum Berlin, Germany
  • 2Department of Trauma- and Reconstructive Surgery, Humboldt-Klinikum der Vivantes GmbH Berlin, Germany
  • 3Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, Fachgruppe VI.2, Berlin, Germany
  • 4Arbeitsgruppe Allgemeine Anatomie, Institut für Anatomie, Charité Berlin, Germany
  • 5HELIOS Research Center, Berlin, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
31 May 2005 (online)

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Abstract

With a growing percentage of elderly people in the population and, correspondingly, an increasing rate of fractures of the proximal femur, the question how to stabilize medial femoral-neck fractures is gaining increasing importance. Especially in Hungary and Scandinavian countries, femoral-head-preserving surgery is advocated. However, the main problems of this procedure are re-dislocation and necrosis of the femoral head. Encouraged by two theoretical mathematical considerations, a biomechanical experiment was performed to investigate two different methods of screw fixation of medial femoral-neck fractures. The results showed that a head-preserving internal fixation with two cranial screws and a three-point supported screw at the bottom of the neck had distinct biomechanical advantages compared to conventional screw fixation. This has encouraged us to more frequently perform this minimally invasive and head-preserving surgery in Pauwels I and II medial fractures of the femoral head.

Key words

femoral neck fracture - screw fixation - biomechanical stability - cadaver experiment - mathematical model

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Dr. med. Jörg Schmidt

Klinik für Unfall-, Hand- und Wiederherstellungschirurgie im HELIOS Klinikum Berlin

Hobrechtsfelder Chaussee 100

13125 Berlin

Phone: 0 30/94 01/76 69

Fax: 0 30/94 01/71 74

Email: jschmidt@berlin.helios-kliniken.de