External fixation of type I intertrochanteric fractures in elderly patients with high risk comorbid conditions

الملخص

In Al- diwaniya city as part of adeveloping country we have only one hospital and we have high number of intertrochanteric fracture patients which usually occurres in patients having medical illnesses which make them unfit for general anaesthesia or lengthy operation or keeping them for long time on conservative treatment in hospital. So due to these factors the treatment of high risk patients with intertrochanteric fracture is a challenge.
In this study we aim to evaluate the results of treatment of intertrochnanteric fractures of the femur by external fixation in a group of high risk geriatric patients in Al-diwaniya city /
Iraq.
Our study involves 40 patients with mean age of 73.5 years, and type I kyle classification with the average follow up time of 12 months.
Good fixation and early ambulation was achieved in most of the patients.
Complete fracture healing was achieved in all patient and the fixator was removed after an average of 95 days.
Twenty five patients developed superficial pin tract infection and six patients had an average shortening of 2cm due to varus angulation by impaction at fracture sites during weightbearing
Our study demonstrates that treatment of intertrochanetric fractures by external fixation is simple and can be done under local anaesthesia with or without narcotic analgesia and we think it is good alternative to internal fixation in medically high risk patients.