Loupasis et al. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2010, 4:363 http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/4/1/363 by various authors regarding the pathogenesis of this fracture pattern, such as inadequate implant fixation[4], imperfect reduction of the primary intertrochanteric fracture [2], and stress protection by the fixation device resulting in local osteoporosis [1,3]. Conclusion This report shows that segmental fracture of the femoral neck region is an extremely rare hip injury and can occur not only in the older person but also in younger patients without osteoporosis. Head-preserving and fixa- tion methods should be attempted at all costs despite the combination of two fractures and the great possibi- lity of vascular compromise, and a head-replacing method in a younger patient should be avoided. This unusual complex hip injury has not been previously categorized. Consideration should be given to its inclu- sion in femoral fracture classification systems. Consent Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief of this journal. Authors’ contributions GL, PGN and AA were the operating surgeons. GL and PGN collected the data and prepared the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Received: 21 April 2010 Accepted: 15 November 2010 Published: 15 November 2010 References 1. Cameron HU, Pilliar RM, Hastings DE, Fornasier VL: Iatrogenic subcapital fracture of the hip: a new complication of intertrochanteric fractures. Clin Orthop Relat Res 1975:218-220. 2. Hardy D, Lafontaine M, Stelmaszyk J, Delince P: [Subcapital fracture of the femoral neck. A rare complication of a pertrochanteric fracture healed in coxa vara position]. Acta Orthop Belg 1990, 56:507-511. 3. Taylor PR, Hepple S, Stanley D: Combination subcapital and intertrochanteric fractures of the femoral neck. Injury 1996, 27:68-71. 4. Wilson-MacDonald J: Subcapital fracture complicating an intertrochanteric fracture. Clin Orthop Relat Res 1985:147-150. 5. An HS, Wojcieszek JM, Cooke RF, Limbird R, Jackson WT: Simultaneous ipsilateral intertrochanteric and subcapital fracture of the hip. A case report. Orthopedics 1989, 12:721-723. 6. Cohen I, Rzetelny V: Simultaneous ipsilateral pertrochanteric and subcapital fractures. Orthopedics 1999, 22:535-536. 7. Isaacs C, Lawrence B: Concomitant ipsilateral intertrochanteric and subcapital fracture of the hip. J Orthop Trauma 1993, 7:146-148. 8. Pemberton DJ, Kriebich DN, Moran CG: Segmental fracture of the neck of the femur. Injury 1989, 20:306-307. 9. Fracture and dislocation compendium. Orthopaedic Trauma Association Committee for Coding and Classification. J Orthop Trauma 1996, 10(Suppl 1):1-154, v-ix. Page 4 of 4 doi:10.1186/1752-1947-4-363 Cite this article as: Loupasis et al.: Concomitant ipsilateral subcapital and intertrochanteric fractures of the femur: a case report. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2010 4:363. Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color ﬁgure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit