title: Use of trochanteric nail for proximal femoral extracapsular fractures.
abstract: Proximal femoral extracapsular fractures have shown a significantly high morbidity and mortality rate at 1 year in cases of nonoperative treatment. The standard gamma nail was originally designed to provide stable fixation and allow early mobilization and weight bearing for elderly patients. The design of the standard gamma nail, however, appears to be associated with intraoperative or postoperative femoral shaft fractures in < or = 17% of patients, compromising the outcome. The trochanteric nail was developed to overcome the problems encountered with the use of the standard gamma nail. Between July 2000 and January 2001, 88 consecutive proximal femoral extracapsular fractures were treated with a trochanteric nail, Seventy-five patients (76 fractures) were observed clinically and radiographically for 2 years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudoes, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Matthieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hofer
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chevalley
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garofalo
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Borens
authors.forename: Elyazid
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mouhsine
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001858:Bone Nails; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome