Unilateral Femoral Neck Fracture after Epileptic Seizure in Young Patient: A Case Report

Abstract

Femoral neck fracture occurring after an epileptic seizure is a rare and under-diagnosed injury. The majority of the reported cases in literature are old patients with osteoporosis. Younger patients present several risk factors of osteopenia and the treatment remains controversial. We present an outcome of a 23 years old patient with unilateral femoral neck fracture occurring during an epileptic seizure and we discuss the associated multiple risk factors of osteopenia and osteonecrosis of the hip. The patient was brought to the emergency department of Teaching Hospital of Kamenge (CHUK) complaining of pain in his left hip that had been progressing for one month after an epileptic seizure. There is a history of HIV infection since birth and epileptic seizures with ongoing treatments for both diseases. Despite the high risk of avascular necrosis, the treatment choice has been influenced by the patient's age and a conservative surgery by internal fixation with Dynamic Hip Screw has been made. Unfortunately, this treatment early resulted in osteonecrosis of the hip since HIV infection itself and the highly active anti-retroviral therapy increase its risk.