Article
Epidemiology and Morphology of Femoral Shaft Fractures in Adults
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Published: | November 11, 2003 |
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Outline
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Aim
The purpose of the study was to scrutinize the epidemiology and morpholgy of traumatic femoral shaft fractures treated during a 10-year period at the Central Hospital of Central Finland.
Patients and methods
All medical records and radiographs of all consecutive traumatic femoral shaft fractures treated during 1985-1994 were analyzed. The injury season, injury mechanism, concomitant injuries were detected. Fracture morphology was defined by a biomechanical, AO and Winquist classifications.
Results
The incidence of 201 fractures in 192 patients including 70 women and 122 men was 9.9 fractures per 100 000 person-years and was highest in August. The highest age and gender specific incidences were in 15-24 -year-old men and ≥75-year-old women. High-energy mainly road accidents caused 75% of the fractures. There were 50 low energy fractures. The most common fracture types were noncomminuted (Winquist 0), transverse, oblique or oblique transverse in the middle third of the diaphysis. There was a significant association between increasing age and a spiral fracture or a distal third location. Of the open fractures the most common was Gustilo type II. The most common concomitant injury was another diaphyseal fracture.
Conclusions
Femoral shaft fractures are not, as commonly thought, exclusively result of high-energy trauma. Preventive measures against femoral shaft fractures should focus on protection automobile drivers, especially young men, and on the effective treatment of osteoporosis in elderly women.