Prosthetic treatment of hip fractures in the elderly patient.

As the elderly population in our society significantly increases, the incidence of displaced femoral neck fractures will increase proportionally. Three surgical procedures are available to treat such fractures: internal fixation, hemiarthroplasty (unipolar or bipolar), and total hip arthroplasty. Long-term costs and efficacy of these three procedures vary, primarily due to postoperative complications.