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Fractures of the Femoral Neck in Children

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Pediatric Femur Fractures

Abstract

Femoral neck fractures are uncommon injuries in children often associated with high-energy mechanisms. An increased risk for osteonecrosis and long-term morbidity associated with these injuries requires heightened suspicion in any high-energy lower extremity trauma scenario. Children are at an increased risk for osteonecrosis after femoral neck fractures due to injury of the medial femoral circumflex and/or retinacular vessels. The Delbet classification system is reliable and prognostic for the risk of osteonecrosis after femoral neck fractures, where Delbet Type I or II fractures are associated with the highest incidence of osteonecrosis. The majority of femoral neck fractures require operative management and treatment is tailored according to age and fracture pattern. Fracture displacement, urgent treatment within 24 h, and fracture type are all significant predictors for the development of osteonecrosis.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 3400 Bainbridge Ave. 6th Floor, Bronx, NY, 10467, USA

    Jaime A. Gomez MD

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Hunnewell 211, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Benjamin J. Shore MD, MPH, FRCSC

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    M. Timothy Hresko MD

Authors
  1. Jaime A. Gomez MD
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  2. Benjamin J. Shore MD, MPH, FRCSC
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  3. M. Timothy Hresko MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jaime A. Gomez MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Daniel J. Hedequist

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Benton E. Heyworth

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Gomez, J.A., Shore, B.J., Hresko, M.T. (2016). Fractures of the Femoral Neck in Children. In: Hedequist, D., Heyworth, B. (eds) Pediatric Femur Fractures. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7986-5_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7986-5_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-7984-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-7986-5

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