Fig. 3.

a An 80-year-old female sustained an incomplete fracture of her right femur. Before the fracture, she had received 5 years of treatment with alendronic acid because of a high dose of corticosteroids for rheumatic disease. She recalled enduring 6 months of increasing pain from her right thigh before seeking medical advice. b Surgery was selected as the preventive treatment of choice. Bisphosphonate treatment was discontinued before surgery. Lateral fixation was performed because of the curvature of the femur (femoral angle approximately 10°). Full weight bearing was allowed postoperatively. Radiographic examination after surgery revealed no further propagation of the fracture