Predictors of early failure in young patients with displaced femoral neck fractures.

Overview

INTRODUCTION: This study compares early failure rates of sliding hip screw (SHS) and cannulated screw (CS) constructs in young patients. METHODS: Patients <60 years of age, with displaced femoral neck fractures treated with CS or SHS fixation were included. Primary outcome was failure within 6 months. RESULTS: One patient (3%) with SHS fixation and 6 patients (21%) with CS fixation failed within 6 months (P = 0.04). Regression analysis demonstrated type of fixation (P = 0.005) and reduction quality (P = 0.04) are independent predictors of early failure. CONCLUSIONS: SHS constructs demonstrate a significantly lower short-term failure rate than CS constructs.