Stress fractures of the femur in pregnancy - review

Abstract

Introduction

Stress fractures are caused by an unbalanced process of bone formation and resorption. Femur fractures in pregnancy in most cases occur at the femoral neck, most commonly in the third trimester. Diagnostic process of fractures in pregnancy should be limited to methods which do not use ionizing radiation.

Aim

The main aim of the paper is to present the problem of femur fractures in pregnant women and to summarize it on the basis of the available literature.

Material and methods

For the purpose of this review, research of the PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and NCBI databases for articles raising the topic of femoral fractures in pregnancy was conducted. We used keywords “femur fracture pregnancy”, “stress fracture pregnancy” and “fatigue fracture pregnancy". Main criterium of including the publications to the paper was if they are describing the subject of femoral fractures in pregnancy or postpartum period.

Summary

Fatigue fractures in pregnancy and postpartum are typically located in the vertebral column, although in literature one can find cases of femoral fractures. In most cases location is femoral neck. Symptoms include hip area pain and mobility difficulties. Fractures may be connected with pregnancy associated osteoporosis or transient osteoporosis of the hip. Treatment is based on surgical methods, preferably after delivery. Physicians need to be aware of the possibility of femoral fracture appearance in pregnancy. Individual approach to every patient with lumbar or hip area pain is necessary.