Proximal femoral fractures—acute management and indications for hip replacement
WITH CHRISTOPH SOMMER, PETER BATES, XAVIER GRIFFIN, JAMES WADDELL

In a recent AO webinar on proximal femoral shaft or neck fractures, Christoph Sommer, Peter Bates, Xavier Griffin, and James Waddell discussed these common injuries. In younger patients, they tend to result from high-impact events such as falls from heights or motor-vehicle accidents; for older ones, many of whom are osteoporotic, even minor falls can result in fractures. And while the number of younger people with these fractures is fairly constant, the number of older patients, especially women, is growing as the baby-boom generation move into old age.
Below each of the four authors considers typical cases with possible treatment and complications. AO members can watch the full webinar in the AO Video Hub.
About the authors
Christoph Sommer is a past president of the Swiss AO and has been a member of the AO technical committee since 2006. He is highly experienced in the development of periprosthetic plates, and collaborated on the implant he discusses in this Webinar.
Peter Bates is a consultant at the Royal London Hospital where he is also a senior lecturer and co-chair for orthopedic trauma, and a co-founder for Orthohub. Bates has also been involved in the development of proximal femoral implants.
Xavier Griffin is the chair of Bone and Joint Health the at the Blizard Institute at Queen Mary and Barts Health University of London.
James Waddell is the Secretary General of SICOT. He is a staff surgeon at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Chief of Orthopedics, Chief of Surgery, and Head of the Trauma Program. He also serves as the Clinical Lead for Orthopedic Surgery in the Province of Ontario.
References
- Alho A. Concurrent ipsilateral fractures of the hip and femoral shaft: a meta-analysis of 659 cases. Acta Orthop Scand. 1996 Feb;67(1):19-28. doi: 10.3109/17453679608995603. PMID: 8615096.
- Marins MHT, Pallone LV, Vaz BAS, Ferreira AM, Nogueira-Barbosa MH, Salim R, Fogagnolo F. Ipsilateral femoral neck and shaft fractures. When do we need further image screening of the hip? Injury. 2021 Jul;52 Suppl 3:S65-S69. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2021.01.040. Epub 2021 Jun 1. PMID: 34083022.
- Op cit. Alho, A, 1997
- Gupta A, Jain A, Mittal S, Chowdhury B, Trikha V. Ipsilateral femoral neck and shaft fractures: case series from a single Level-I trauma centre and review of literature. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol. 2023 May;33(4):803-809. doi: 10.1007/s00590-021-03199-3. Epub 2022 Feb 4. PMID: 35119486.
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