Ipsilateral supracondylar femur fractures following knee arthroplasty

A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the treatment of five patients with prosthetic knee arthroplasty who sustained a supracondylar femoral fracture of the ipsilateral side. Four of the patients were initially treated by plaster immobilization or traction. Two of the four showed no signs of healing at three months postfracture and had to have open reduction and internal fixation. The fifth patient had primary open reduction and internal fixation. The three patients who were treated surgically regained their prefracture knee rating score. The two who were treated nonoperatively for their fracture had a significant loss in limb function and failed to regain their prefracture knee rating score. Open reduction and internal fixation of these fractures achieves the best results despite the complicating factors of in situ prosthetic components.