Finite Element Analysis of Femoral Neck Fracture Treated with Bidirectional Compression-Limited Sliding Screw

BACKGROUND: The rate of femoral neck shortening after internal fixation for femoral neck fracture is high and this complication reduces the function of the affected lower limb. The aim of this study was to design a bidirectional compression-limited sliding screw (BCLSC) that can achieve a full balance between retaining the sliding pressure of the ends of and maintaining the length of the femoral neck. MATERIAL/METHODS: We constructed a 3-dimensional model of a Pauwels III femoral neck fracture and models of 3 internal fixation methods (3 cannulated screws [3CS], dynamic hip screw [DHS]+CS, and BCLSC) by finite element analysis (FEA).The finite element model simulated the loading of the human body when standing on 1 leg. Displacement and stress distribution of the models were calculated based on an axial stress of 600 N. RESULTS: The peak von Mises stress (VMS) values of fracture ends in the 3CS, DHS+CS and BCLSC groups were 94.687 MPa, 26.375 MPa and 45.698 MPa; the peak VMS values of internal fixed stress were 451.53 MPa, 174.45 MPa, and 337.34 MPa; the peak VMS values of the lateral femoral wall were 70.021 MPa, 53.033 MPa, and 20.009 MPa; maximum displacements of the femoral head were 1.4482 mm, 1.3813 mm, and 1.3889 mm; and the internal fixed displacement peaks were 4.1134 mm, 3.91 mm, and 4.1004 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The FEA showed that compared with the CS, the new BCLSC showed better performance in resisting shearing force for Pauwels III femoral neck fracture, with better mechanical properties. These data provide a basis for further experiments and clinical application.