Fractures of the neck of the femur in childhood and adolescence.

Twenty cases of fracture of the neck of the femur in children and adolescents below the age of 20 were reviewed. The most important single prognostic factor was the degree of displacement of the fracture at the time of injury. Undisplaced fractures, whether treated conservatively or by internal fixation, did well. Displaced fractures, however, always required internal fixation with thin pins after accurate correction of displacement. The various complications of this fracture in children are discussed. Acute necrosis of articular cartilage following this fracture in children is recorded for the first time in 2 cases.