The results of this study are in regard to the treatment of a consecutive series of 20 patients with femoral neck fractures and ESRD over a 7-year period. All of the patients were treated using closed reduction and internal fixation.
Eight of 13 (61.5%) patients developed nonunion (of which 5 were classified as displaced fractures). Six of these eight patients were subsequently treated with hemiarthroplasty (75%). Five of these 13 patients(38.4%) achieved union; all of these were classified as nondisplaced fractures. In patients < 70 years, five of 11 patients demonstrated nonunion (45.5%), of which all were classified as displaced fractures. The mortality rate of this series was 33.3%(5 of 15 patients).
We determined that a femoral neck fracture in an ESRD patient is a unique case and should be treated differently from general treatment protocols. It is suggested that regardless of patient age,nondisplaced fractures should be treated with osteosynthesis, while hemiarthroplasty is a better treatment for displaced fractures.