Comparison of three different internal fixation methods in the treatment of femoral neck fracture.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of three different fixation methods in treating femoral neck fractures in young patients.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 35 young patients with femoral neck fractures who underwent surgical treatment. Among them, 16, 12, and 7 patients underwent fixation with three cannulated compression screws (3CS), the femoral neck system (FNS), and the compound compression system (CCS), respectively. Data, including fracture classification, injury-to-surgery time, surgery duration, intraoperative blood loss, fluoroscopy instances, fracture healing time, complications, and Harris score at the final follow-up, were collected and analyzed to compare clinical outcomes among the three fixation methods.

RESULTS

All patients were followed for at least 6 months, exhibiting no significant differences in age, gender, injury side, fracture type, or injury-to-operation time among the three groups (P > 0.05). The FNS and CCS groups exhibited shorter operation durations and fewer intraoperative fluoroscopy instances compared to the 3CS group (P < 0.01). Despite the minimally invasive nature of 3CS, the FNS and CCS groups experienced higher intraoperative blood loss (P < 0.01). During follow-up, only one patient with 3CS fixation developed nonunion. Additionally, patients treated with 3CS demonstrated a higher incidence of femoral head necrosis and severe femoral neck shortening than the FNS and CCS groups. Excluding patients with combined nonunion, no significant difference in mean fracture healing time was observed among the three groups (P > 0.05). At the last follow-up, the FNS and CCS groups showed higher Harris scores (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Both FNS and CCS are effective internal fixation systems for the treatment of femoral neck fractures in young patients, yielding more satisfactory clinical functional outcomes than 3CS. Comparatively, the CCS system presents a higher risk of iatrogenic rotation of the proximal fracture segment. Therefore, we advocate the insertion of two to three 2.5 mm Kirschner wires from the upper edge of the femoral neck along the axial direction before CCS lag screw insertion to resist iatrogenic rotational stress.