The use of a carbon fiber plate for periprosthetic supracondylar femoral fractures.

Abstract

Operative management of periprosthetic supracondylar femoral fractures in poor-quality bone presents a challenging task for the orthopaedic surgeon. We report our experience with the use of a semirigid carbon fiber-reinforced plate in the treatment of 5 patients, all of whom were elderly women with severe osteoporosis and highly restricted mobility. All 5 of the fractures were sustained after low-energy trauma at least 2 years after primary knee arthroplasty. Except for 1 patient who died of pulmonary embolism, all 4 surviving patients progressed uneventfully to fracture union with good mobility and no residual pain. The use of this method for the treatment of periprosthetic femoral fractures has not been reported previously, and we believe it provides a successful and technically undemanding solution to this difficult problem.