Outcomes of modular stem for the treatment of periprosthetic femoral fracture: a systematic review of the literature.

BACKGROUND

Periprosthetic femoral fractures (PFFs) are a frequent complication after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Both modular and non-modular tapered fluted titanium (TFT) stems could be used in total hip revisions (THRs). Nevertheless, the most appropriate femoral stem type is still under debate. The current systematic review aims to analyze the survival rate and all causes of stem revision, the overall complication rate and reason for reoperation, and patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) in THR for PFF using the modular tapered titanium stems (MTTS).

METHODS

A comprehensive search in four databases, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews databases, was performed, and following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review was conducted. Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, starting from 1,259 studies. The risk of bias was analyzed according to the MINORS tool system. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed for all data extracted.

RESULTS

Eighteen clinical studies were included in the qualitative analysis for a total of 775 patients enrolled. A mean MINORS criteria score of 9.8 [8-12] was reported. The overall survival of MTTS for PFF treatment was 95.4%, with an overall reintervention rate of 10.3% at an average follow-up of 4.5 years. Despite the use of modular components, postoperative hip instability remains the most frequent complication and cause of reintervention in these patients. In addition, a mean postoperative Harris Hip Score (HHS) of 78.1 was reported, which was considered acceptable given the high mean age of 74.1 years at the time of the revision.

CONCLUSIONS

Several therapeutic approaches and a wide variety of implants have been described in the literature for PFF management; however, no one solution has proven superior to others in the PFF treatment. MTTS has become a commonly used treatment option for Vancouver B2 and B3 fractures because they provide good clinical and radiological results with a reasonable survival rate. However, the complication rate of MTTS is still high.