Cannulated screws versus dynamic hip screw versus hemiarthroplasty versus total hip arthroplasty in patients with displaced and non-displaced femoral neck fractures: a systematic review and frequentist network meta-analysis of 5703 patients

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to determine the best operative procedure in human participants with a displaced or non-displaced femoral neck fracture comparing cannulated screw (CS) fixation, dynamic hip screw (DHS) fixation, hemiarthroplasty (HA), and total hip arthroplasty (THA) in terms of surgical and functional outcomes, reoperation and postoperative complications. METHODS: We searched PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Clinical trials, CINAHL, and Embase for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs up to 31 July 2022. A frequentist network meta-analysis was performed to assess the comparative effects of the four operative procedures, using fixed-effects and random-effects models. Mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for continuous variables and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs were estimated for binary variables. RESULTS: A total of 33 RCTs with 5703 patients were included in our network meta-analysis. CS fixation was best in terms of operation time (CS: MD = − 57.70, 95% CI − 72.78; − 42.62; DHS: MD = − 53.56, 95% CI − 76.17; − 30.95; HA: MD = − 20.90, 95% CI − 30.65; − 11.15; THA: MD = 1.00 reference) and intraoperative blood loss (CS: MD = − 3.67, 95% CI − 4.44; − 2.90; DHS: MD = − 3.20, 95% CI − 4.97; − 1.43; HA: MD = − 1.20, 95% CI − 1.73; − 0.67; THA: MD = 1.00 reference). In life quality and functional outcome, measured at different time points with EQ-5D and the Harris Hip Score (HHS), THA ranked first and HA second (e.g. EQ-5D 2 years postoperatively: CS: MD = − 0.20, 95% CI − 0.29; − 0.11; HA: MD = − 0.09, 95% CI − 0.17; − 0.02; THA: MD = 1.00 reference; HHS 2 years postoperatively: CS: MD = − 5.50, 95% CI − 9.98; − 1.03; DHS: MD = − 8.93, 95% CI − 15.08; − 2.78; HA: MD = − 3.65, 95% CI − 6.74; − 0.57; THA: MD = 1.00 reference). CS fixation had the highest reoperation risk, followed by DHS fixation, HA, and THA (CS: OR = 9.98, 95% CI 4.60; 21.63; DHS: OR = 5.07, 95% CI 2.15; 11.96; HA: OR = 1.60, 95% CI 0.89; 2.89; THA: OR = 1.00 reference). CONCLUSION: In our cohort of patients with displaced and non-displaced femoral neck fractures, HHS, EQ-5D, and reoperation risk showed an advantage of THA and HA compared with CS and DHS fixation. Based on these findings, we recommend that hip arthroplasty should be preferred and internal fixation of femoral neck fractures should only be considered in individual cases. Level of evidence I: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Trial registration: PROSPERO on 10 August 2022 (CRD42022350293). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13018-023-04114-8.