Patients with periprosthetic femoral fractures are older adults who are commonly diagnosed with osteoporosis.

Abstract

This study focused on individuals aged ≥ 50 years with periprosthetic femoral fractures (PFF). When compared to those with native hip fractures, patients with PFF were older, had a higher BMI, and demonstrated a greater number of comorbidities. Given the high frequency of osteoporosis risk factors and the BMD results, PFF should be classified as osteoporotic fractures. To compare patients presenting with periprosthetic femoral fractures (PFF) to patients with native hip fractures with a special focus on bone mineral density (BMD) measurements, in order to reinforce the hypothesis that PFF are osteoporotic fractures. A retrospective, single-centre, observational study of all patients aged ≥ 50 years with low-energy PFF identified at the Lille University Hospital from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2022, was conducted. The PFF group was compared to a group of patients with native hip fractures hospitalized during the same period. To compare the T-score data, we used a linear mixed model that considered a predefined adjustment for age, sex, and BMI. Adjusted means ± standard error of the mean (SEM) are derived from the mixed model. Among 71 patients with PFF (78.9% female, median (IQR) age 81 (72-88) years), osteoarthritis (57.8%) was the primary indication for hip surgery. Compared with the native hip fracture group (n = 117), patients in the PFF group were significantly older (p = 0.002), had a significantly greater BMI (p = 0.043), and had a higher history of multiple falls (54.3% vs. 26.1%, p < 0.001). A greater frequency of previous low-energy fractures (69.0% vs. 44.0%, p < 0.001) and an increased prescription of anti-osteoporosis medications (26.8% vs. 11.1%, p = 0.006) in patients with PFF were found. Adjusted T-scores differed between the two groups at the lumbar spine (mean adjusted ± SEM, - 0.5 ± 0.2 (PFF group) vs. - 1.2 ± 0.2 (comparator group), p = 0.008) but not at the femoral neck or at the total hip. Low-energy PFF should be considered as an osteoporotic fracture and treated accordingly.