Femoral shaft fractures are
usually the result of a high-energy injuries. It is estimated that annually between
1.0 and 2.9 million femoral shaft fractures occur worldwide. In high-income
countries the annual incidence of femoral shaft fractures ranges between 8.2
and 23.9 per 100,000 people.
Due to the high-energy mechanism,
associated injuries are common in this patient population and the inhospital
mortality has been reported to be approximately 1.4%. In particular,
musculoskeletal injuries to the ipsilateral limb, such as hip fractures,
patella fractures, tibial plateau fractures, and ligamentous knee injuries have
been reported to commonly occur in conjunction with high-energy femoral shaft fracture.
However, reports on peripheral
nerve injuries as a result of a femoral shaft fracture are limited in the
orthopaedic literature. Rodriguez-Merchan et al. reported on 150 femoral shaft
fractures and observed temporary neurologic deficits in 10 patients. A few case
reports have reported on injuries to the sciatic nerve associated with femoral
shaft fractures.
