Surgical Therapy of Fractures

Summary

• The orthopedic treatment for most fragility fractures is generally uncontroversial, except for minor details. For hip fractures and especially femoral neck fractures, however,there have been great controversies, due to the high complication rates, regarding what treatment modality should be used.

• There is an ongoing effort, with large, prospective studies, to solve these controversies. It seems as if the orthopedic community has turned more and more towards primary hip arthroplasties rather than osteosynthesis of these fractures.

• In spite of recent research results, there is consensus that the treatment of hip fracture will remain a challenge.

Osteoporotic fracture, also called fragility fracture, is defined as a fracture occurring with increasing frequency with age and more commonly in women. There are numerous types of such fractures, the most serious being the hip fracture. Wrist fracture, vertebral fracture, and fracture of the proximal humerus are also sustained frequently by osteoporotic women.