Treatment of Vancouver B2 and B3 Periprosthetic Femoral Fractures Using a Modular Tapered Stem: Survivorship and Radiographic Outcomes at Mean 7.8-Year Follow-Up.

J Arthroplasty · Oct 07 2026 · Recent

Chaudhry F, Bridger A, Kolhatkar K, Nannapaneni S, Ekhtiari S, Safir OA, et al.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada M5G 1X5

Adult Reconstruction Orthopaedic Trauma

SUMMARY — THE REDUCTIONIn 46 Vancouver B2/B3 periprosthetic femoral fractures revised with a modular tapered stem, 15-year survivorship was 95% with a 13% complication rate and 4% revision rate, supporting this as a viable option.
Abstract, as published

INTRODUCTION: Periprosthetic fractures (PPF) of the femur are a frequent complication following total hip arthroplasty (THA). Revision THA using a modular tapered stem is a common treatment strategy for these fractures. The purpose of this study was to report the survivorship and clinical outcomes of revision THA using a modular tapered femoral stem to treat PPF of the femur.

METHODS: A total of 46 patients were included from our retrospective review of revision total hip arthroplasties performed for Vancouver B2 and B3 fractures between January 2001 and December 2022. A minimum follow-up of two years was required. Among these patients, 30 (65.2%) were women, the mean age at the time of surgery was 73 years (range, 33 to 93), and the mean follow-up was 7.6 years (range, 2.0 to 22.6). Overall, 67.4% (31 of 46) patients were classified as Vancouver B2 fractures. Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis was conducted with failure defined as revision surgery for any reason.

RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier survivorship due to all-cause failure for patients who underwent revision THA to treat PPF via a modular tapered stem was 95.1% (95% CI [confidence interval]: 88.7 to 100.0) at 15 years with four hips at risk. The overall complication rate was 13.0% (six of 46), which included dislocation (four), infection (one), and iliopsoas tendonitis (one). The overall revision rate was 4.3% (two of 46), with revisions performed for dislocation (one) and infection (one). Overall, 95.2% (40 of 42) of patients were ambulatory at final follow-up.

CONCLUSION: Our study suggests revision THA using a modular tapered femoral stem for Vancouver B2 and B3 PPF of the femur is a viable treatment option, providing excellent 10- to 15-year survivorship and radiographic outcomes with a low complication rate. Future research should evaluate patient-reported outcomes and longer-term follow-up in larger cohorts.

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