The outcome of fracture of the femoral neck in elderly patients is greatly affected by the timing and the method of treatment, and when treatment is inadequate, the prognosis can be very poor.
This disease has been observed frequently in routine diagnosis and treatment, and problematic cases occur on occation. Among the patients who suffered fracture of the femoral neck and were treated surgically during the 6-year betweenfrom April 1990 and April 1996, 62 patients (62 joints) aged 85 years of age orolder were selected and examined in this study. The subjects included 5 men and 57 women, who were divided into two groups by age for comparison: Group A consisted of 32 patients aged 85-89 years old, and Group B consisted of 30 patientsaged 90-99 years old. Patients in both groups underwent early surgical treatment, left their sickbeds early, and began postoperative treatment early as well. At the time of discharge from the hospital, most of the patients in both groups could leave their sickbed and walk. The mean survival time after discharge was 592 days in Group A and 521.4 days in Group B, and thus differed little between the groups. In conclusion, early surgical treatment appeared to be useful for extremely elderly.
