BACKGROUND: Despite advances in operative techniques and preoperative care, proximal femur fractures (PFF) still represent a great public health problem. Displacement and fracture stability have been assumed as important determinants of treatment modality and outcome in such fractures. Purpose of this study was to determine whether the radiological severity of PFF fractures has increased over time.

METHODS: In a cohort study, the plain radiographs of all patients with PFF aged over 50 years who were admitted to Umeå University Hospital in 1981/82, 2002 and 2012 were recruited to examine the types of fractures.

RESULTS: The ratio of undisplaced to displaced femoral neck (FN) fractures was 30 to 70% in 1981/82, 28 to 72% in 2002 and 25 to 75% in 2012. The ratio of stable to unstable intertrochanteric (IT) fractures was 64 to 36% in 1981/82, 68 to 32% in 2002 and 75 to 25% in 2012. The ratio of simple to comminute subtrochanteric fractures was 35 to 65% in 1981/82, 16 to 84% in 2002 and 12 to 88% in 2012. In both FN and IT fractures we found no statistical difference among these 3 study periods, p = 0.67 and p = 0.40. In subtrochanteric fractures we saw a tendency towards more comminute subtrochanteric fractures (1981/82 to 2012), p = 0.09.

CONCLUSIONS: We found no significant increment in the radiological severity of FN and IT over a 30 years' period. However, there was tendency towards an increase in comminute subtrochanteric fractures.