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- Title
Fractures of the Upper Femur: Classification and Causing Mechanisms.
- Authors
Stasi, Sophia; Papathanasiou, George
- Abstract
Fractures of the upper femur in elderly adults are a major health problem with serious financial, social and psychological consequences. In the present review these fractures are described and categorized. Their healing process is of particular interest because both aging and osteoporosis have a negative effect on the mechanical and biological factors associated with it. These two are considered major pathogenetic factors, as they have a negative influence on bone density and on bone's mechanical strength. Important predictors of fractures in the upper femur are, amongst others, the thinning of cortical bone, the attenuation of connectivity of the trabecular systems of cancellous bone at sites of interest, for example at Ward's triangle in the upper femur. Singh's Index is a radiographic tool which discriminates between the morphological & mechanical properties of the trabecular systems in the upper femur. Fracture risk is calculated upon co-evaluation of Singh's Index with THBMD and other local mineral density measurements of interest. The above combination improves hip fracture prediction and provides a fuller insight of the effects of osteoporosis on the upper femur region. Overall, examination of the relationship between femur geometric characteristics with the fracture type is important for the understanding low-energy fracture mechanics and for the assessment of the risk of future hip fracture in younger individuals.
- Subjects
FEMUR injuries; BONE fractures; OSTEOPOROSIS; BONE density; HIP joint diseases; BONE remodeling; WOUND healing; AGE factors in disease
- Publication
Physiotherapy Issues / Themata Fisikotherapeias, 2010, Vol 6, Issue 3, p119
- ISSN
1108-4839
- Publication type
Article