Information for Medical Professionals

Osteochondral allograft could benefit femoral head fracture patients

Using an osteochondral allograft on patients with severe femoral head fractures could avoid the need for total hip arthroplasty in some cases, it has been claimed.

According to a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, the novel technique can "help young patients to delay, or even possibly avoid altogether, the need for a total hip replacement".

The case revolves around an 18-year-old who sustained injuries in a car accident.

Surgeons discovered a large, displaced femoral head fracture and a smaller acetabular fracture.

To repair the damage, the surgeons dislocated the femur and used an allograft to fill the defect and anchored the transplant using two small headless screws.

"This is one of the first such case reports describing this procedure in the orthopaedic literature," David L. Helfet, lead author of the study stated.

He added: "The patient has had an early, good functional recovery following such a severe injury to his hip joint."

According to research published in Orthopaedics 2010, the incidence of hip fractures will increase in the coming decades.

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