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Fractured neck of femurs is a very common presentation to hospital, especially in an elderly population and in almost all cases requires an operation, usually a cemented or uncemented hemiarthroplasty. Current evidence and multiple guidance issued in UK suggest the use of cemented hemiarthroplasty above uncemented prostheses. This retrospective case series performed in District General Hospital in Wales, UK. Notes and radiographs of 80 consecutive patients who had hemiarthroplasty for the fracture of neck of femur were examined by independent observer. All patients received modern prosthesis-collarless, polished tapered cemented stem or fully HA-coated uncemented stem-based on the choice of treating consultant. There were 47 uncemented prostheses and 33 cemented hemiarthroplasties used. We identified 12 significant complications in the uncemented group (26 %) as compared to three in the cemented group (6 %). The most significant difference was periprosthetic fracture rate, with five in the uncemented group (10.7 %) as compared to none in the cemented group. There were a total of six reoperations in four patients all of whom had initially undergone uncemented operations. In both groups, 24-h mortality rate was similar. Our study supports the use of modern cemented prosthesis as opposed to modern uncemented hemiarthroplasty. Post-operative complication rate after uncemented prosthesis is unacceptably high, especially periprosthetic fracture rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cemented Thompson's prostheses have been used to treat elderly patients with displaced intracapsular hip fractures at our two units for the last 15 years, amid growing support for the use of newer implant designs for hip hemiarthroplasty. This provided us with an opportunity to investigate survival of the Thompson's stem in our patients. A retrospective cohort study was set up to review previously collected data on patients who underwent Thompson's hemiarthroplasty over a 7-year period. These were linked to surgical notes, clinical letters and radiographs to record post-operative course and subsequent admissions and procedures. The identifiers were then linked to mortality data from the Office of 'National Statistics. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were done for implants and patients. A total of 1,632 patients (mean age 82.7 years) underwent 1,670 procedures. Five-year implant survival was 95.4 %. A total of 36 stems were revised, including 14 revisions to total hip arthroplasty and 22 excision arthroplasties. Reasons for revision included infection (2.1 %), dislocation (1.1 %) and aseptic loosening (0.5 %). Symptomatic aseptic loosening and acetabular erosion occurred late (mean time 3.2 and 5.7 years, respectively following surgery). Aseptic loosening and erosion following hemiarthroplasty are relatively late complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]