[Prospective study assessing quality-of-life after hemiarthroplasty for hip fracture]

We conducted a prospective multicentric study of 203 consecutive patients who underwent hemi-arthroplasty for femoral neck fracture between May 1999 and August 2001. The purpose of the study was to assess quality-of-life among these patients one year after their surgery.

Mean patient age was 79.6 +/- 8.6 years; 71.2% were women. Most fractures were Garden type III and IV (87.4%) and 90.9% were recent (< 21 d). The hemiarthroplasty was performed with the Intermedia implant via a posterolateral approach in 73.9% of patients with acetabular reaming for 13.7%; a skirted head was used in only 20.8%. The Robinson score (19/26 < or = 6.89) for joint motion, lifestyle, degree of osteoporosis (Singh score), and history (ASA score), as well as a psychomotor indicator (Hodkinson score) were noted preoperatively. Quality-of-life was measured at one year in the same patients using the Postel Merle d'Aubigne (PMA) score and a quality-of-life score.

Among the 203 patients, 38 (18.7%) were lost to follow-up and 37 died (18.2%). Eleven posterior dislocations (5.4%) were noted and four were reduced orthopedically. The PMA score was 84.7% satisfactory results (excellent, very good, good). Preoperatively 58.8% of the patients were independent and 7% were in nursing homes; one year postoperatively, these proportions were 54% and 4.8%. There was a significant difference in the PMA score between two populations defined by the preoperative Robinson score less than or greater than 20. Outcome was better for patients with a Robinson score > 20 pre-operatively. For these two populations, change in lifestyle was highly significant one year postoperatively. However, for the overall population, changes in lifestyle and joint motion were not significantly different between the pre- and postoperative evaluations. Paradoxically, 29.1% of the patients who were dependent preoperatively were not one year after surgery, which indicates that certain patients also had a better quality-of-life after their hemiarthroplasty.

Mortality after fracture of the femoral neck remains high (18.2% at one year). There were no infections requiring revision in this series, but there were eleven cases of dislocation (5.4%). The difference in joint motion and quality-of-life between the pre- and postoperative assessment was not significant for the whole population, but one third of the patients who were independent preoperatively were not at last follow-up.