Surgical treatment of peri-implant femoral fractures - case report and literature review

Abstract

Introduction. Peri-implant femoral fractures (PIFF) are defined as fractures of the femur with the presence of previously implanted non-prosthetic osteosynthetic material. A review of available literature revealed that there are several proposed classifications and sets of guidelines for surgical treatment of PIFF. Case outline. A 49-year-old patient was injured from a fall on the same level, the day before admission to the hospital. The anamnesis at admission showed that six months earlier, he had sustained a pertrochanteric fracture of the left femur, which had been treated surgically with a short cephalomedullary nail. Two years prior to hospital admission, the patient had sustained a tibial plateau fracture of the same leg, which was treated non-surgically with above the knee cast immobilization. After the fracture had healed, paresis of the peroneal nerve was diagnosed, while subsequent follow-up revealed secondary post-traumatic arthrosis of the knee joint. Reduction and fixation of the fracture was performed on a surgical extension table, with the use of fluoroscopy. Previously implanted osteosynthetic material was removed, a short cephalomedullary nail, and fixation of the fracture was carried out with a long cephalomedullary nail. Six months after the operation, the patient can ambulate independently, without assistance. He reports no pain in the left groin and upper leg but reports pain and limitation of movement in the left knee joint. Conclusion. By reviewing the available literature, we found that the patient was cared for in our hospital in keeping with all current recommendations for surgical treatment of this type of fracture.