Longitudinal femoral shaft due to bone insufficiency. A review of three cases.

We report three new cases of longitudinal femoral shaft fracture due to bone insufficiency and review the eight cases reported in the literature. The typical patient is a woman older than 65 years of age who present with mechanical pain in the thigh and/or groin. Palpation of the thigh may reproduce the pain. The diagnosis is often made late because the radiographs are normal initially. However, an early and consistent finding is increased radionuclide uptake along the femoral shaft. The fracture line is readily evidenced by computed tomography but may be difficult to see on magnetic resonance imaging. Use of crutches for 6 weeks to protect the bone from weight bearing ensures healing of the fracture.