J Korean Fract Soc.  2010 Jan;23(1):109-112. 10.12671/jkfs.2010.23.1.109.

Repetitive Insufficiency Fractures of the Femoral Shaft: A Case Report

• Kim JH
• Cho YH
• Byun YS
• Shin JH
• Lee CY
• Kim TG

• KMID: 1461581
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12671/jkfs.2010.23.1.109

Abstract

Stress fractures occur when the loads applied to a bone exceed the mechanical resistance and fall into two groups. Fatigue fractures, in which abnormal mechanical stress is applied to a normal bone, and insufficiency fractures, in which fracture occurs when stress of normal activity is applied to a bone that has decreased elastic resistance. Femoral shaft insufficiency fractures are reported rarely in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis. We report a case of repetitive insufficiency fractures of the femoral shaft in 70 year-old female with marked osteoporosis.

Keyword

Femoral shaft; Repetitive insufficiency fractures

MeSH Terms

Female
Fractures, Stress
Humans
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal
Stress, Mechanical

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Femur anteroposterior (A) and lateral (B) radiographs shows 3 radiolucent lines of lateral femoral cortex with endosteal and periosteal new bone formation.

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  Fig. 2 Whole body radionuclide scan shows a focal uptake (dotted arrow) and two tiny transverse linear uptakes (linear arrows) of right femur shaft.

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  Fig. 3 CT scan of distal femoral shaft shows thickened lateral femoral cortex and endosteal new bone formation.

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