Biomechanical Effects of Cement Augmentation in the Treatment of Intertrochanteric Fractures with Compression Hip Screw Systems in Relation to Osteoporosis of Varying Degrees

Introduction: Screw cut-out and non-union have been cited as major complications with hip screw systems for the treatment of intertrochanteric femoral fractures. Recently, cement augmentation of hip screw system has been introduced to provide better purchase of the screw. However, its effectiveness is not entirely clear when the various degrees of osteoporosis has progressed within the femoral head region. This study investigates the biomechanical efficacy of cement augmentation technique for varying degrees of osteoporotic femur. For this purpose, the stress distributions within the femur and the surgical construct was assessed. The relative movement at the interfacial junctions were predicted to assess its fixation strength that is critical for post-op bony healing.