‘Watch’ issued about femoral neck fractures in long-necked modular implants
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JBJS Case Connector has issued a “Watch” regarding femoral neck fractures in patients whose implants used modular head-neck and neck-stem designs. While some of the designs are no longer available from manufacturers, such devices have been implanted and the “Watch” encourages surgeons to be wary about long femoral necks in the modular hip designs.
The “Watch” is based on a case presented in the Jan. 22 issue of JBJS Case Connector and three previously published cases which all cite modularity and long femoral neck length as common denominators of a risk of fracture that should be discussed with patients.
“The ‘Watch’ designation may encourage the orthopedic community to either demonstrate that these are isolated, unrelated cases or sharpen the focus further by rigorously evaluating the intervention and reporting related cases,” Marc Swiontkowski, MD, editor of JBJS Case Connector, stated in a press release.
Reference:
Swiontkowski M. JBJS Case Connector. 2014;doi:10.2106/JBJS.CC.M.00301.
Disclosure: Swiontkowski received consulting fees from Eli Lilly, METRC and Pfizer China, participation fees from Eli Lilly and METRC and royalties from Lippincott. He is a consultant for Eli Lilly, employed by JBJS and receives royalties from Lippincott.