Proximal femoral replacement for the treatment of periprosthetic fractures

Background: A periprosthetic fracture around the femoral component is a rare but potentially problematic complication after total hip arthroplasty. Reconstruction can be challenging, especially when severe bone stock deficiency is encountered. Proximal femoral replacement is one method of treating the severely deficient proximal part of the femur. The present report describes the outcomes of revision total hip arthroplasty with use of a proximal femoral replacement in a cohort of patients who had a Vancouver type-B3 periprosthetic fracture. Methods: With use of a computerized institutional database, all patients in whom a Vancouver type-B3 fracture (characterized by severe proximal bone deficiency and a loose femoral stem) had been treated with a proximal femoral replacement were identified. A modular femoral replacement with proximal porous coating had been used in all cases. The twenty-one patients who were identified had had a mean age of 78.3 years (range, fifty-two to ninety years) at the time of the index operation. The clinical and radiographic records of these patients were reviewed. Results: At the time of the latest follow-up (mean, 3.2 years), all but one of the patients were able to walk and had minimal to no pain. Complications included persistent wound drainage that was treated with incision and drainage (two hips), dislocation (two hips), refracture of the femur distal to the stem (one hip), and acetabular cage failure (one hip). Conclusions: Despite a relatively high complication rate, we believe that proximal femoral replacement is a viable option for the treatment of periprosthetic fractures in older patients with severe bone deficiency. If a proximal femoral replacement is used, the stability of the hip must be tested diligently intraoperatively and a constrained acetabular liner should be utilized if instability is encountered. In order to enhance the bone stock, the proximal part of the femur, however poor in quality, should be retained for reapproximation onto the implant.