Information for Medical Professionals

Periprosthetic fractures can lead to joint failure

Periprosthetic fractures can lead to changes in loading patterns and joint failure following hip resurfacing arthroplasty, it has been claimed.

According to research from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany, which was published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, "periprosthetic fractures have long been recognised as one of the major complications of hip resurfacing arthroplasty" and osteonecrosis was deemed to be the most frequent cause of fracture-related failures.

The researchers claimed that intra-operative mechanical injuries of the femoral neck, including notching and malpositioning of the femoral component, can lead to changes in the loading pattern or in the resistance to fracture.

Both acute and chronic biomechanical femoral neck fractures can occur as a result, they added.

"These findings may serve as feedback information for the surgeon and possibly influence future therapeutic strategies," the researchers claimed.

A study conducted earlier this year and published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism showed that there is a link between a grandfather's likelihood of suffering a hip fracture and their grandchildren's bone densities.

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