Fractura por fatiga del fémur proximal que surge en personas mayores. (Inglés)

Daizo Sasaki1, Masahito Hatori1 , Satoru Kotajima1 and Shoichi Kokubun1 bpB (1) Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryomachi, Aobaku, 980-8574 Sendai, Miyagi , Japan

Abstract

Fatigue fractures most frequently involve the tibia and metatarsal bones in the young. We report a very unusual case of fatigue fracture in the distal femur of a 62-year-old man. The differential diagnosis was a pathological fracture due to a metastatic bone tumor. The diagnosis of fatigue fracture was based on the fact that the patient walked every day for a long time, together with the following radiological features: no definite cortical destruction, a radiolucent area surrounded by sclerosis on CT, no extraskeletal mass, and sharp linear low signal intensities in the center of the lesion on MR images. Rest and restricted walking improved his symptoms and fracture healing. Fatigue fracture should be ruled out even in the elderly, especially those who engage in sports activities for long periods.

Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Publisher: Springer-Verlag GmbH. Issue: Volume 125, Number 6. July 2005. Pages: 422 - 425.