Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39991649›Full record

ArticleOrthopaedic journal of sports medicine2025

Cephalomedullary Nail Fixation for Prophylactic Treatment of Incomplete Femoral Neck Stress Fractures in Athletes.

Christopher J McMellen, Margaret A Sinkler, Ethan Winter, Elika Fanaeian, John T Strony, Austin D Williams, Robert J Wetzel

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Christopher J McMellenDepartment of Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4995-3390
Margaret A SinklerDepartment of Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4409-1472
Ethan WinterCase Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Elika FanaeianDepartment of Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
John T StronyDepartment of Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Austin D WilliamsDepartment of Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Robert J WetzelDepartment of Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3505-5090

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The traditional management of femoral neck stress fractures (FNSFs)-such as cannulated screw fixation-requires a period of protected weightbearing and does not provide fixed angle stability. Purpose: To report the technique and outcomes of a single surgeon's case series of prophylactic fixation of incomplete FNSFs using cephalomedullary nailing (CMN) followed by immediate weightbearing. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A retrospective review of 17 FNSFs treated using CMN by a single surgeon over 7 years was conducted. descriptive, injury, and treatment-related data were collected. Perioperative complications and recovery courses were included for each case. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the characteristics, clinical presentation, diagnostic imaging findings, treatment details, and follow-up outcomes of the study population. Results: There were no perioperative complications across the 17 injuries. The mean intraoperative blood loss was 67 mL (range, 20-150 mL). In all 17 cases, immediate full weightbearing was recommended. All patients were able to initiate a return to running by 6 weeks postoperatively. Time until completion of narcotic use was noted for 15 cases, with narcotic medications no longer required at 2 weeks for 12 injuries (71%), at 6 weeks for 2 injuries (12%), and at 3 months for 1 injury (5.9%). Patients had a mean of 12.4 months of follow-up (range, 6-48 months). At the final follow-up, 5 cases (29%) had persistent pain-1 from gluteus medius tendinosis and 4 from painful distal interlocking screws. Two patients underwent the removal of symptomatic hardware. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that prophylactic fixation of FNSFs with CMN in endurance athletes is a safe and effective construct that permits early return to baseline impact activity because of the inherent stability of the construct, with a favorable complication profile-although with a 30% rate of persistent pain from the surgical site.

Indexed as

cephalomedullary nailingendurance athletesfemoral neck stress fracturesmilitaryreturn to sport

Identifiers

PMID39991649
PMCPMC11843680

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.