Single lag screw and reverse distal femur locking compression plate for concurrent cervicotrochanteric and shaft fractures of the femur: biomechanical study validated with a clinical series

BACKGROUND

The optimal surgical management of concurrent cervicotrochanteric and shaft fractures of the femur has not been consensual. The authors investigated the reliability of combined single lag screw and reverse distal femur locking compression plate (LCP-DF) by finite element (FE) study and retrospectively described the present technique for these dual fractures.

METHOD

Intact femurs were derived from CT data, and the implant models were created by using CAD software. The fractured femur and implant models were virtually aligned based on the surgical techniques before converting to the FE model. In the FE model, applied boundary conditions included body weight, muscle forces, and constraint of the joints. Regarding clinical series, three patients with these dual fractures of the femur and 2 with cervicotrochanteric fractures with subtrochanteric extension were operated on by the proposed technique. The collected data include operative time, postoperative complications, union times, and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

Equivalent von Mises stress exhibited on dynamic hip screws with an anti-rotational screw was higher than the other techniques, close to the yield stress of the material. Multiple screw fixation produced better stability for transcervical fractures whereas the proposed technique of combined single lag screw and reverse LCP-DF provided better stability for intertrochanteric fractures. No significant difference in cortical bone stress was found between multiple screw construct and the proposed technique. The proposed technique presented a lower risk of secondary fractures, as the strain energy density (SED) in cancellous bone was lower than multiple screw construct. Regarding clinical series, all fractures were united with a mean union time of-16.1 weeks (range 12-20). There were no any postoperative complications. Regarding the Harris score, 1 was determined to be excellent value, and 4 to be good.

CONCLUSION

By the FE results, a combination of a single lag screw and reverse LCP-DF is an effective technique for fixation of cervicotrochanteric fractures. Empowered by the clinical results, this proposed technique could be an alternative for concurrent cervicotrochanteric and shaft fractures of the femur especially when either single-system or dual-system devices seem not to be suitable.