Tehran University Medical Journal

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Cut out or extrusion of the lag screw from the superior aspect of head and neck of the femur is one of the most common and devastating complications of the surgery of the intertrochanteric fractures with DHS. The exact cause of this complications is unknown, but it seems to be related to osteopenia, inappropriate position of lag screw inside head of the femur and inability of DHS to slide inside the barrel, which is the most ignored risk factor. We used short barrel Dynamic Hip Screw (DHS) for fixation of the intertrochanteric fractures in Dimon and Hughston procedure in 16 patients with unstable fracture, from may to August 2000. The only patient suffered from cut out is the one with static position of DHS in the center of the head. The other complications were delayed ::::union:::: in one, disingagement of the lag screw and side plate despite using compression screw, and one case of significant limb length discrepancy 6 months after surgery, mild limbing was the rule and the average of harris scores was 76. We think that, it is possible to reduce the rate of cut out with choosing short barrel DHS instead of the standard one, while using short length lag screw.

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Background: Comminuted subtrochanteric fractures have been a challenge for orthopedic surgeons in terms of appropriate reduction and stable fixation. Numerous methods have been used for the fixation of comminuted subtrochanteric fractures among which some are accompanied with technical difficulties and complications of their own. Regarding the results of previous studies, we decided to evaluate the biological fixation method in comminuted subtrochanteric fractures.

Methods: In this prospective study, we evaluated 20 men with comminuted subtrochanteric femoral fractures. The patients underwent indirect reduction with dynamic hip screw (DHS) or dynamic condylar screw (DCS) fixation within one week of injury. The patients were evaluated clinically for pain, hip and knee range of motion, leg-length discrepancy and angular and rotational deformities, in addition the radiographic assessment of the ::::union::::.

Results: According to Seinsheimer's classification of subtrochanteric fractures, four patients had type III, nine had type IV and seven had type V fractures. Fracture fixation was performed by DCS in eight and by DHS in 12 cases. The average time of the operations was 79.4 (ranging from 60-125) minutes. Mean blood loss was 634 (ranging from 340-1160) milliliters. Uneventfully, ::::union:::: occurred in all patients with no clinical pain or dysfunction.

Conclusion: Submuscular plating with either DCS or DHS is a viable option to treat comminuted subtrochanteric fractures. The results of this study highly suggest use of submuscular plating in the treatment of comminuted subtrochanteric fractures, especially in the third world countries.