ABSTRACT
A periprosthetic fracture of the proximal femur (PFF) is a rare but devastating complication after total hip arthroplasty. Risk factors for intraoperative PFF are osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, femoral-stem preparation and surgical technique for inserting the rasp or femoral component, press-fit cementless stem and revision total hip arthroplasty. Patient factors such as age, gender and body mass index contribute to the risk of PFF. Older patients are at greater risk of postoperative fractures, as age is associated with other problems, such as osteoporosis and falls. Patients with osteolysis at the greater trochanter are at greatest risk of developing intraoperative and postoperative PFF. Periprosthetic fractures of the acetabulum are less common than periprosthetic fractures of the femur but are often severe. One of the first classifications of periprosthetic fractures of the acetabulum was reported by Smith Peterson and Lewallen. The most widely used classification system is that proposed by Paprosky et al.
