Preoperative planning of prosthetic replacement in hip fractures in the elderly

Abstract There are numerous reports on successful results for total hip replacement being achieved through preoperative planning. However, none of these reports have been focused on the treatment of hip fractures. Preoperative planning has increased importance in this group of patients as the correct biomechanical reconstruction of the hip is made more difficult by the absence of an intact femur. This report describes a method for preoperative planning based on the reproduction of the biomechanics of the intact contralateral hip, if and when it is anatomically normal. The plan is based on radiological measurements that are reproduced during surgery to achieve normal biomechanical reconstruction for the fractured hip.