Optimal treatment of femoral neck fractures according to patient's physiologic age: an evidence-based review.

For decades, the basic tenets of managing displaced femoral neck fractures have not changed, but the optimal treatment choice continues to be highly debated. The contemporary controversies associated with the treatment principles of displaced femoral neck fractures are distinct between young and old patients and are considered individually in this article about the current evidence. Although fixation constructs all seem to have similar complication rates, there is increasing evidence suggesting that total hip replacement improves patient functional outcomes for healthy, independent, elderly patients compared with hemiarthroplasty and should be considered as the treatment of choice for these patients. Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc.