Are patients with a nonunion after a femoral neck fracture more osteoporotic than others? BMD measurement before the choice of treatment?: A pilot study of hip BMD and biochemical bone markers in patients with femoral neck fractures.

The incidence of nonunion is high after a femoral neck fracture. If reliable predictors were available, fractures that heal well could be subjected to internal fixation while fractures that do not could undergo an arthroplasty. In this pilot study of 28 patients, those with a low hip BMD on admission had a higher risk of developing non-union.