Abstract
In Displaced Intracapsular Hip Fractures (ICHF) in young active patients, preservation of the femoral head and its blood supply are of high importance and urgent surgical treatment with anatomic reduction and internal fixation is the preferred intervention. Due to the strong varus displacement shear forces exerted across the hip, there are relatively high complication rates after fixation. There is no consensus regarding the optimal fixation device or technique. This retrospective study compared closed reduction internal fixation method using cannulated cancellous screw (CCS) with the Targon Femoral Neck (TFN) hip fixed angle screw. Data regarding, gender, operational data, duration of surgery, complications, NAS (Numerical Analogue Scale) pain score, Modified Harris Hip Score (MHHS) and SF-12 scores were retrieved for patients younger than 65 with displaced ICHF. Eighty-two patients were included in the study, 30 patients treated with CCS were compared to 52 patients treated with TFN. Fracture configuration (Garden and Pauwel classifications), mean time to surgery and complication rate did not differ significantly. Operative time did differ significantly between groups (CCS 56 minutes, TFN 92 minutes, p<0.001). At final follow-up the CCS group reported less pain (NAS 2.3 vs 3.5, p< 0.049) and better Mental Health Composite score of SF-12 (p=0.017) compared to the TFN group. Complication rates for the treatment of displaced ICHF with TFN and CCS showed no significant differences; however, the functional outcomes, as presented by the NAS and Mental Health Composite score of SF-12, showed superiority for CCS treatment. As this fixation method is related to reduce costs, we suggest CCS for the treatment of displaced ICHF in the young population.