Surgical treatment of pertrochanteric fractures by dynamic methods of external and internal fixation

• Main Authors: Milenković Saša, Mitković Milorad B., Radenković Mile, Mladenović Desimir, Soldatović Gordana, Micić Ivan, Stanojlović Miloš
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Military Health Department, Ministry of Defance, Serbia 2003-01-01
• Series: Vojnosanitetski Pregled
• Subjects: hip fractures; fracture healing; fracture fixation; external fixators; internal fixators
• Online Access: http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0042-8450/2003/0042-84500306663M.pdf

Pertrochanteric fractures usually occur in patients over 65 years of age, with greater loss of skeletal mass (osteoporosis). Nonsurgical methods of treatment are accompanied by relatively high lethality rate. Moreover, they do not produce satisfactory anatomical and functional results. Surgical treatment by using dynamic implants represents a method of choice in the fixation of pertrochanteric fractures. This paper presents the treatment results of 110 patients, 61 with pertrochanteric fractures, who were surgically treated by the dynamic method of internal fixation, and 49 patients who were treated by the method of external fixation. Dynamical implants enabled both dynamization and compression of the fracture in the axis of the neck, as well as the diaphysis of the femur, which lowered the risk of mechanical complications, and, at the same time, provided effective healing of the fracture, early activation, and mobilization of the patients on whom the surgery was performed. In patients infected by various diseases, for whom surgical trauma represents a life threat, the external fixation is recommended as a method of choice.