title: Operative treatment of pertrochanteric fractures of the femur: report of a three-year series.
abstract: A series of 70 consecutive patients with pertrochanteric fractures of the femur treated by condylo-trochanteric (C-T) nailing is reported. Patients' ages ranged from 54 to 96 years, and they were followed up for 4 to 32 months. The mortality rate was 1.4%, and the overall complication rate among survivors 20.3%, but all complications were minor and transient. The fracture healed in every case, and the functional and anatomic results were good. The results are thought to be due to the superiority of indirect methods of fixation, which are in general technically easy and involve no major surgical intervention. This fact is highly favorable in this group of elderly and frail patients, among whom a major osteosynthesis would certainly carry a risk of high operative mortality.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural; D001858:Bone Nails; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005594:Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement; D011859:Radiography; D014945:Wound Healing