Femoral head fractures are very rare fractures of the upper end (femoral head) of the thigh bone (femur). They are a very rare kind of hip fracture that may be the result of a fall like most hip fractures but are more commonly caused by more violent incidents such as traffic accidents They are categorized according to the Pipkin classification based on the following bone fracture patterns: [1]
Pipkin classification type | Description |
---|---|
I | Fracture below the fovea; not involving weight-bearing surface of the head |
II | Fracture above the fovea; involving weight-bearing surface of the head |
III | Type I or II fracture with associated femoral neck fracture |
IV | Type I or II fracture with associated acetabulum fracture |
The femur, or thigh bone is the only bone in the thigh. The thigh is the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg.
Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease (LCPD) is a childhood hip disorder initiated by a disruption of blood flow to the head of the femur. Due to the lack of blood flow, the bone dies and stops growing. Over time, healing occurs by new blood vessels infiltrating the dead bone and removing the necrotic bone which leads to a loss of bone mass and a weakening of the femoral head.
Coxa vara is a deformity of the hip, whereby the angle between the head and the shaft of the femur is reduced to less than 120 degrees. This results in the leg being shortened and the development of a limp. It may be congenital and is commonly caused by injury, such as a fracture. It can also occur when the bone tissue in the neck of the femur is softer than normal, causing it to bend under the weight of the body. This may either be congenital or the result of a bone disorder. The most common cause of coxa vara is either congenital or developmental. Other common causes include metabolic bone diseases, post-Perthes deformity, osteomyelitis, and post traumatic. Shepherd's Crook deformity is a severe form of coxa vara where the proximal femur is severely deformed with a reduction in the neck shaft angle beyond 90 degrees. It is most commonly a sequela of osteogenesis imperfecta, Paget's disease, osteomyelitis, tumour and tumour-like conditions.
Hip replacement is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant, that is, a hip prosthesis. Hip replacement surgery can be performed as a total replacement or a hemi (half) replacement. Such joint replacement orthopaedic surgery is generally conducted to relieve arthritis pain or in some hip fractures. A total hip replacement consists of replacing both the acetabulum and the femoral head while hemiarthroplasty generally only replaces the femoral head. Hip replacement is one of the most common orthopaedic operations, though patient satisfaction varies widely. Approximately 58% of total hip replacements are estimated to last 25 years. The average cost of a total hip replacement in 2012 was $40,364 in the United States, and about $7,700 to $12,000 in most European countries.
Avascular necrosis (AVN), also called osteonecrosis or bone infarction, is death of bone tissue due to interruption of the blood supply. Early on, there may be no symptoms. Gradually joint pain may develop which may limit the ability to move. Complications may include collapse of the bone or nearby joint surface.
A hip fracture is a break that occurs in the upper part of the femur, at the femoral neck or (rarely) the femoral head. Symptoms may include pain around the hip, particularly with movement, and shortening of the leg. Usually the person cannot walk.
In vertebrate anatomy, hip refers to either an anatomical region or a joint.
Slipped capital femoral epiphysis is a medical term referring to a fracture through the growth plate (physis), which results in slippage of the overlying end of the femur (metaphysis).
A hip dislocation is when the thighbone (femur) separates from the hip bone (pelvis). Specifically it is when the ball–shaped head of the femur separates from its cup–shaped socket in the hip bone, known as the acetabulum. The joint of the femur and pelvis is very stable, secured by both bony and soft-tissue constraints. With that, dislocation would require significant force which typically results from significant trauma such as from a motor vehicle collision or from a fall from elevation. Hip dislocations can also occur following a hip replacement or from a developmental abnormality known as hip dysplasia.
A femoral head ostectomy is a surgical operation to remove the head and neck from the femur. It is performed to alleviate pain, and is a salvage procedure, reserved for condition where pain can not be alleviated in any other way. It is common in veterinary surgery. Other names are excision arthroplasty of the femoral head and neck, Girdlestone's operation, Girdlestone procedure, and femoral head and neck ostectomy.
The femoral neck is a flattened pyramidal process of bone, connecting the femoral head with the femoral shaft, and forming with the latter a wide angle opening medialward.
The femoral head is the highest part of the thigh bone (femur). It is supported by the femoral neck.
Hip resurfacing has been developed as a surgical alternative to total hip replacement (THR). The procedure consists of placing a cap, which is hollow and shaped like a mushroom, over the head of the femur while a matching metal cup is placed in the acetabulum, replacing the articulating surfaces of the person's hip joint and removing very little bone compared to a THR. When the person moves the hip, the movement of the joint induces synovial fluid to flow between the hard metal bearing surfaces lubricating them when the components are placed in the correct position. The surgeon's level of experience with hip resurfacing is most important; therefore, the selection of the right surgeon is crucial for a successful outcome. Health-related quality of life measures are markedly improved and the person's satisfaction is favorable after hip resurfacing arthroplasty.
A femoral fracture is a bone fracture that involves the femur. They are typically sustained in high-impact trauma, such as car crashes, due to the large amount of force needed to break the bone. Fractures of the diaphysis, or middle of the femur, are managed differently from those at the head, neck, and trochanter; those are conventionally called hip fractures. Thus, mentions of femoral fracture in medicine usually refer implicitly to femoral fractures at the shaft or distally.
Chandler's disease otherwise known as Idiopathic Avascular osteonecrosis of the femoral head is a rare condition in which the bone cells in the head of the femur (FH) die due to lack of blood. This disease is caused when blood flow is reduced to the part of a bone near a joint. It is specifically unique because the femoral head is for some reason the only affected part of the body and rarely travels down to the main part of the femur. In 1948 F.A. Chandler did a multi-case review and first released his interpretations as Coronary Disease of the Hip. Although now we know his term is incorrect and improperly describing the actual disease.
The Garden classification is a system of categorizing intracapsular hip fractures of the femoral neck. This fracture often disrupt the blood supply to the femoral head.
Orthopedic surgery is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal injuries, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, bone tumours, and congenital limb deformities. Trauma surgery and traumatology is a sub-specialty dealing with the operative management of fractures, major trauma and the multiply-injured patient.
Pain in the hip is the experience of pain in the muscles or joints in the hip/ pelvic region, a condition commonly arising from any of a number of factors. Sometimes it is closely associated with lower back pain.
A pipkin is an earthenware cooking pot.
A Phemister graft is a type of bone graft which uses bone tissue harvested from the patient to treat slow-healing, or delayed union bone fractures. Thus, it is a form of autotransplantation. Typically, the tissue used in the graft is cancellous bone harvested from the patient's Iliac crest and laid in strips across the fracture site. The use of the patient's living bone stimulates osteogenesis, the growth of bones.