Scintimetric evaluation of complications after femoral neck fractures.

The primary surgical approach to the femoral neck fracture should be one with the lowest mortality and morbidity. Internal fixation appears to be the safe and logical approach for most of the reducible intracapsular fractures. Careful follow-up of these patients then is important. 85Sr scintimetry is a simple and accurate method in the early detection and evaluation of secondary complications in these patients. The 85Sr scintimetric pattern in the normal healing process was defined in relation to time interval after the fracture. At any time after 4 months following fracture, those hips destined for osteonecrosis, with or without non-union, showed significantly more radionuclide uptake over the femoral head than those hips which healed normally. In non-union there was a trend toward increased counts over the fracture site during 6 to 18 months after fracture, but no such tendency was noted in other periods.