Inability to Remove Locking Screws From the Femoral Neck System Due to Stripping of the Screwdriver Within the Locking Screw Head

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were to investigate the frequency of screwdriver stripping in the head of the locking screw that attaches to the side plate to the femur shaft among the patients who underwent implant removal after femoral neck system (FNS) for femoral neck fracture, to determine the risk factors for locking head screw stripping in FNS treatment of femoral neck fracture, and to suggest a surgical tip that removes FNS, which is difficult to remove due to screw stripping. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Eight Urban tertiary referral academic hospitals. PATIENT SELECTION CRITERIA: Included were patients with Orthopedic Trauma Association/Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Osteosynthesefragen 31-B1, 31-B2, and 31-B3 femoral neck fractures who underwent surgical fixation with FNS from November 2019 to February 2023. OUTCOME MEASURES AND COMPARISONS: The frequency of locking head screw stripping of FNS during the implant removal was evaluated. RESULTS: Among the 47 patients (18 (38%) men and 29 (62%) women) who met the inclusion criteria with an average age of 59.2 years (range, 28-94 years), 13 (27.7%) experienced screwdriver stripping in the head of the distal locking screw during FNS removal surgery. A higher body mass index showed a borderline significant association with the stripping in the adjusted model (odds ratio = 1.233; 95% confidence interval: 0.988-1.539; P = 0.064). No other variables showed significant association with the stripped locking head screw ( P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Stripping of the screwdriver within the head of the distal locking screw occurred in over one-quarter of cases. While a higher body mass index demonstrated a borderline significant association, none of the other variables examined showed a statistically significant relationship with the stripped locking head screw. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.