Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Orthop. Jun 18, 2024; 15(6): 605-607
Published online Jun 18, 2024. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v15.i6.605
Direct anterior compared to posterior approach for hip hemiarthroplasty following femoral neck fractures
Kevin A Wu, Alexandra N Krez, Albert T Anastasio
Kevin A Wu, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC 27710, United States
Alexandra N Krez, Albert T Anastasio, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States
Co-corresponding authors: Kevin A Wu and Albert T Anastasio.
Author contributions: Wu KA, Krez AN, and Anastasio AT conceptualized the study and drafted, critically reviewed, and edited the manuscript; All authors approved the final version of the article for publication.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Kevin A Wu, BSc, Researcher, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Hospital, 2301 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27710, United States. kevin.a.wu@duke.edu
Received: April 20, 2024
Revised: May 17, 2024
Accepted: May 31, 2024
Published online: June 18, 2024
Processing time: 53 Days and 11.9 Hours
Abstract

The differences in complication rates between the direct anterior and posterior approaches for hemiarthroplasty in elderly patients with femoral neck fractures are not yet fully understood. Dislocation, a severe complication associated with increased mortality and often requiring additional surgery, may occur less frequently with the direct anterior approach compared to the posterior approach. Careful consideration of patient demographics is essential when planning the surgical approach. Future research in this area should focus on robust randomized controlled trials involving elderly patients recovering from femoral neck fractures.

Keywords: Direct anterior approach; Posterior approach; Hemiarthroplasty; Femoral neck fractures; Arthroplasty; Dislocation; Surgical technique

Core Tip: The current literature base is contradictory regarding the optimal surgical approach for hip hemiarthroplasty in the management of femoral neck fractures. This topic should be explored further in future randomized control trials.