Periprosthetic Femoral Fractures in Total Hip Arthroplasty

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the occurrence of periprosthetic fractures (PPFs) in patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty. Methods: The researchers conducted a retrospective review of 447 patients (494 hips) who received a hip replacement with an ESOP stem. The average follow-up period was 12.33 ± 5.2 years. The study population comprised 248 men with 276 hips and 203 women with 220 hips, with a mean age of 65.7 ± 11.6 years. Results: We found 42 PPFs, 15 of them taking place intraoperatively. Regarding the postoperative fractures, 3 of them happened during the first month and the rest of them afterward. There were 3 deaths directly related to the PPF episode. We found a higher risk of fractures among the female, population older than 65 years, and among those with total hip arthroplasty following hip fracture. This population showed a higher incidence of complications and mortality rate. The cumulative percentage probability of periprosthetic femoral fracture was 3.2% (95% confidence interval, 2-5.6) at 10 years, and 10.3% (95% confidence interval, 7-20) at 20 years after surgery. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that periprosthetic femoral fracture incidence increases significantly after the first decade. The use of modular stems did not modify this behavior, similar to other nonmodular or anatomical stems.