slides
Radiological strength assessment of the proximal femur
- Publication date
- 7 October 1998
- Publisher
- To Ambroise Pare (1510-1590), the famous French surgeon, credit is given for
first recognizing a fracture of the femoral neck. A second step into
understanding the pathology of the broken hip was taken by Sir Astley
Paston Cooper (1768-1841), as he was the first to underline the importance of
the vascularization of the femoral head, describing what is now known as
avascular necrosis,
Until the 1930's, methods of treatment for hip fractures were mainly
conservative. This changed when Smith-Peterson of Boston developed a
special nail that could be inserted surgically, thus keeping fracture fragments
together '. Surgical results improved mainly by the brilliant work of Jolm
Charnley (1911-1982) in England '. His work was followed by the
development of numerous devices up to the point where the total joint,
including the socket, could be replaced.