The Results of Dynamic Hip Screw in the Treatment of Undisplaced Femoral Neck Fractures

Background: The fixation methods of undisplaced femoral neck fractures are still controversial. Although dynamic hip screw has been commonly used, there has not yet been a report of a study comparing the use of minimally invasive dynamic hip screw (MIDHS) and conventional dynamic hip screw (CDHS) in the treatment of undisplaced femoral neck fractures. Patients: 32 elderly patients (＞ 60 years) with complete follow-up data meeting our inclusion criteria had an undisplaced femoral neck fracture surgically treated by either MIDHS (n=15) or CDHS (n=17). All patients were followed for at least 12 months after discharge from the hospital. The clinical results were compared between the 2 groups. Results: Both MIDHS and CDHS had a high overall success rate (93.3% and 94.1%, respectively). The MIDHS had more advantages, including smaller wound incision, deceased drop in hemoglobin level, lower blood transfusion rate and shorter hospital stay than CDHS (all P values ≤ 0.04). Conclusions: Both the MIDHS and CDHS effectively treated the elderly patients with undisplaced femoral neck fractures. MIDHS is a less invasive surgery that results in a smaller incision, less blood loss, and shorter hospital stay than CDHS.