Replacement with the Christiansen endoprosthesis in acute femoral neck fractures. A 5 year follow-up study.

Patients with acute femoral neck fractures, treated with prosthetic replacement (Christiansen's trunnion bearing endoprosthesis), were followed up at 15 months and again at 67 months postoperatively, and the results of the two examinations have been compared. The patients' personal opinion of the results of the operation did not change between the time of the first and second follow-up examinations. However, the objective results showed a deterioration in function (according to Stinchfield's hip assessment scheme) with increasing follow-up time. This deterioration in rating was mostly caused by reduced walking ability. X-ray study of the hips showed an increasing frequency of acetabular protrusion, and settling and loosening of the prosthetic stem. No clear correlation between X-ray findings and clinical results could be found. We conclude that the serviceability of the prosthetic operation is apparently good despite the objective evidence of progressive deterioration both in the grading of the results and in the X-ray findings.