Subchondral insufficiency fractures of the femoral head: systematic review of diagnosis, treatment and outcomes

Subchondral insufficiency fractures of the femoral head (SIFFH) are a cause of femoral head collapse leading to degenerative hip disease. SIFFH is often mistaken for osteonecrosis given similar clinical and radiographic features. These similarities often lead to missed or delayed diagnosis which can often delay or change management. The purpose of this article is to systematically review the spectrum of demographics, diagnostic and treatment options, including hip preservation in young patient populations. A systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. All related peer-reviewed publications from January 1999 to January 2019 were reviewed using the following databases: Medline, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science. The systematic review identified 54 articles, encompassing 482 patients (504 hips) diagnosed with SIFFH. One hundred and seventy-six (35%) males and 306 (63%) females were included, with a mean age of 53.6 ± 17.5 years and mean body mass index of 23.4 ± 4.0 kg/m(2). Mean follow-up was 23.4 ± 15.9 months. Treatment decisions were 256 (55%) non-operative, 157 (34%) total hip arthroplasty (THA), 24 (5%) transtrochanteric anterior rotational osteotomy, 9 (2%) hip arthroscopy, 7 (2%) hip resurfacing, 3 (1%) bone grafting, 3 (1%) hemiarthroplasty and 1 (1%) tantalum rod insertion. Overall, 35% of SIFFH hips were converted to THA at latest follow-up. A majority of SIFFH patients had symptom resolution with non-operative management. Failure most often resulted in THA. In younger patients, hip preservation techniques have shown promising early results and should be considered as an alternative.