Abstract
Awareness of risk factors associated with impending fracture and its radiologic appearance
allows early diagnosis, supports prophylactic surgical treatment, and prevents the
multiple complications of a pathologic fracture. Because the femur is the most common
long bone affected by metastatic bone lesions, we address this clinically relevant
site in this review. The key to early detection of risky bone lesions is familiarity
with the possible clinical presentation, biomechanical effects of the anatomical site
(femoral head and neck, intertrochanteric zone, proximal diaphysis), and the lesion
types (lytic, blastic, or mixed). Awareness of the possible treatment strategies depending
on the characteristics just listed allows high-quality targeted reporting.
Keywords
risk factors - pathologic fracture - femoral head - early detection - diaphysis -
lesion - lytic
