We compared the clinical and radiological outcomes
of two cementless femoral stems in the treatment of patients with
a Garden III or IV fracture of the femoral neck. A total of 70 patients (70
hips) in each group were enrolled into a prospective randomised
study. One group received a short anatomical cementless stem and
the other received a conventional cementless stem. Their mean age
was 74.9 years (50 to 94) and 76.0 years (55 to 96), respectively
(p = 0.328). The mean follow-up was 4.1 years (2 to 5) and 4.8 years
(2 to 6), respectively. Perfusion lung scans and high resolution
chest CTs were performed to detect pulmonary microemboli.
At final follow-up there were no statistically significant differences
between the short anatomical and the conventional stems with regard
to the mean Harris hip score (85.7 (66 to 100) versus 86.5
(55 to 100); p = 0.791), the mean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities
Osteoarthritis Index (17 (6 to 34) versus 16 (5
to 35); p = 0.13) or the mean University of California, Los Angeles
activity score (5 (3 to 6) versus 4 (3 to 6); p
= 0.032). No patient with a short stem had thigh pain, but 11 patients
(16%) with a conventional stem had thigh pain. No patients with
a short stem had symptomatic pulmonary microemboli, but 11 patients
with a conventional stem had pulmonary microemboli (symptomatic
in three patients and asymptomatic in eight patients). One hip (1.4%)
in the short stem group and eight (11.4%) in the conventional group
had an intra-operative undisplaced fracture of the calcar. No component
was revised for aseptic loosening in either group. One acetabular
component in the short stem group and two acetabular components
in the conventional stem group were revised for recurrent dislocation.
Our study demonstrated that despite the poor bone quality in
these elderly patients with a fracture of the femoral neck, osseo-integration
was obtained in all hips in both groups. However, the incidence
of thigh pain, pulmonary microemboli and peri-prosthetic fracture
was significantly higher in the conventional stem group than in
the short stem group.
