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The Best Fixtation
The Best Fixtation
A. R. Socci, Aims
N. E. Casemyr, The aim of this paper is to review the evidence relating to the anatomy of the proximal
M. P. Leslie, femur, the geometry of the fracture and the characteristics of implants and methods of
M. R. Baumgaertner fixation of intertrochanteric fractures of the hip.
Materials and Methods
From Yale University Relevant papers were identified from appropriate clinical databases and a narrative review
School of Medicine, was undertaken.
Connecticut, United
States Results
Stable, unstable, and subtrochanteric intertrochanteric fractures vary widely in their
anatomical and biomechanical characteristics, as do the implants used for their fixation. The
optimal choice of implant addresses the stability of the fracture and affects the outcome.
Conclusion
The treatment of intertrochanteric fractures of the hip has evolved along with changes in the
design of the implants used to fix them, but there remains conflicting evidence to guide the
choice of implant. We advocate fixation of 31A1 fractures with a sliding hip screw and all
others with an intramedullary device.
Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:128–33.
Fractures of the hip are arguably the most The pertrochanteric region has many thick-
important public health problem faced by enings of trabecular bone in compressive and
orthopaedic surgeons. More than 250 000 low- tensile groups. The most structurally signifi-
energy fractures of the hip occur in the United cant of these are the primary compressive tra-
States each year.1 The International Osteoporo- beculae along the posteromedial femoral neck
sis Foundation2 estimates that approximately and shaft.6 While several classification systems
1.6 million such fractures occur per year world- exist for these fractures, they are all based on
A. R. Socci, MD, Assistant wide, a figure which may rise to six million by the concept of stability. A stable fracture is a
Professor
N. E. Casemyr, MD, Assistant
2050. Their treatment consumes a growing simple one that, once reduced and fixed, is
Professor, percentage of healthcare expenditure.2 compressed and minimally impacted by the
M. P. Leslie, DO, Associate
Professor
The goals of care are to restore function with nearly perpendicular weight-bearing force of
M. R. Baumgaertner, MD, the lowest possible rate of surgical and medical single leg stance.7 Unstable fractures due either
Professor
Yale University School of
complications. Achieving stable reduction and fix- to comminution, ‘reverse oblique’ orientation,
Medicine, Department of ation of the fracture, permitting immediate mobi- or both, are associated with collapse on axial
Orthopaedics and
Rehabilitation, 800 Howard
lisation, is key to these goals. loading. Both the posteromedial cortex and the
Ave, New Haven, CT 06520, The last 25 years has seen the introduction and lateral cortical buttress beneath the vastus
USA.
increasing acceptance and use of intramedullary ridge contribute to the stability of these frac-
Correspondence should be sent devices in preference to the sliding hip screw tures. The instability increases with the degree
to A. R. Socci; email:
adrienne.socci@yale.edu (SHS) for the treatment of intertrochanteric frac- of comminution of the posteromedial cortex.
tures.3 Despite little good quality evidence to sup- Increased comminution implies less support
©2017 The British Editorial
Society of Bone & Joint port their use, most clinicians use them for most for axial loading through cortical contact. The
Surgery fractures, and practice guidelines from the Amer- lateral cortex beneath the vastus ridge provides
doi:10.1302/0301-620X.99B1.
BJJ-2016-0134.R1 $2.00 ican Association of Orthopaedic Surgery the final buttress to impaction of the fracture
(AAOS)4 support their use.5 In this paper we after fixation, further contributing to its stabil-
Bone Joint J
2017;99-B:128–133. review the evidence and highlight the weaknesses ity and avoiding collapse.8,9 Incompetence of
Received 24 March 2016; or absence. We also present our practice with its either of these cortical regions therefore ren-
Accepted after revision 17
August 2016 rationale and recommendations. ders a fracture unstable.
implants are more cost-effective for A2 fractures, but curvature and the anterior bow of the femur. A stress riser
assumed an equivalent rate of failure between SHSs and can, in this scenario, lead to a fracture which is even more
nails.18 Such an assumption ignores differences in out- challenging to manage, especially with a nail in situ.
comes, especially when considering the A2 group as a No significant difference in the rates of periprosthetic
homogenous one. fracture between short and long nails have been recorded at
Late costs are more difficult to measure and tend to one, two or five years post-operatively.21,30
relate to failure, requiring prolonged rehabilitation or re- Longer nails can cost up to 45% more than short nails.30
operation.21 First-generation intramedullary implants had Lindvall et al21 reported that, based on a rate of peri-
a significantly higher incidence of periprosthetic fracture, prosthetic fracture of 12% and an increased cost of $439 of
thereby compounding their already increased cost. A 4.5- long nails over short, long nails were cheaper than short
fold increased risk of periprosthetic fracture in 1997 ones when the cost of managing complications was taken
decreased to 1.87 in 2005 and is no longer evident in the into account. A more recent study reported equivalence
most recent data.22,23 between short and long nails, except for hospital costs
Despite a large number of randomised controlled trials (which can include facility fees, cost of medications given,
(RCTs), meta-analyses have not shown differences in func- administration of the medications, lab costs, cost of surgery
tional outcomes between intra- and extra-medullary and anesthesia).19
devices. These studies have often used inappropriate out- Leaving aside the biomechanically dissimilar subtro-
come measures and reported the outcome of diverse chanteric fractures, there is little evidence relating to short
cohorts of patients, pooled without reference to pre-opera- versus long nails in terms of functional outcome and until
tive functional status.17,24 Some authors have, however, these data are known, meaningful assessment of cost bene-
shown differences in the rates of recovery of function. In a fit is difficult.
RCT of intramedullary versus extramedullary fixation in Distal locking. The effect of distal locking on the incidence
210 patients with A1 or A2 fractures, Utrilla et al25 of periprosthetic fracture is not fully understood. Lindvall
reported no difference in outcome in stable fractures, but et al21 reported that distal locking may be protective against
better mobility at one year following intramedullary fixa- periprosthetic fracture in both short and long nails. In their
tion of unstable fractures. Improved early functional recov- cohort of 609 patients, 47% of nails were distally locked
ery following intramedullary fixation has also been shown but 15 of 16 periprosthetic fractures occurred in the 53%
in several studies which also recorded sliding of SHSs, indi- of patients with unlocked nails at 21.5 months (standard
cating shortening of the femoral neck, leg length discrep- deviation (SD) 18.6) follow-up in the short nail group and
ancy, and/or medialisation of the shaft.26-28 Pajarinen et al26 14.8 months (SD 13.8) follow-up for long nails. They also
reported improved mobility and less shortening of the fem- noted that patients with unlocked long nails experienced
oral neck after intramedullary fixation in agreement with periprosthetic fracture around the shaft, while those with
the findings of Hardy et al27 of improved early mobility, less locked long nails had fractures at the tip of the nail. In short
sliding and less leg length discrepancy. The early functional unlocked nails, fractures occurred at the tip of the nail, in
recovery is better in those in whom the SHS slides less, sug- keeping with early findings in studies of intramedullary fix-
gesting that excessive alteration of the biomechanics of the ation.33-35 This is important as, in relative terms, it is easier
hip can impair the recovery of mobility. A recent RCT by to treat a diaphyseal fracture by closed reduction with the
Reindl et al29 found less shortening of the femoral neck in introduction of a distal locking screw than it is to perform
the intramedullary group, but this did not significantly alter open reduction and internal fixation of a peri-articular frac-
the timed up and go scores. It is likely that the ability of a ture around a locked nail.
patient to tolerate malunion is related to pre-injury func- Current evidence supports distal locking in axially or
tion, but there is currently no evidence to support this as rotationally unstable fractures, including those with sub-
studies tend to pool all patients. Information about func- trochanteric extension or comminution, or in osteoporotic
tional outcomes such as return to social integration, driving femora in which it is hard to achieve an isthmic fit.32
and participation in recreational activities is urgently
needed. Femoral head fixation: blade vs screw, one vs two
Some intramedullary implants use a helical blade for fixa-
Implant details tion of the femoral head instead of a cancellous screw. Bio-
The length of the nail. Early intramedullary nails used for mechanical studies in artificial, cadaveric and living bone
fractures of the hip were short and associated with a risk of have shown that a blade resists rotational and translational
fracture at the tip of the nail, with an incidence of 8% to displacement better36,37 but this has not translated into evi-
11% historically.30 Long nails can prevent this complica- dence of a difference in rates of cut-out, complications, or
tion but risk anterior cortical impingement or intra- post-operative function.38,39 Consistently, loss of fixation is
operative iatrogenic fracture with incidences of 1.5%30 and more related to the quality of reduction of the fracture and
< 1% recorded.31,32 For this reason, the surgeon must be a high tip-apex distance (TAD) rather than the choice of
conscious of the design of the nail including its radius of implant.37,39
as a comminuted, unstable intertrochanteric fracture with 11. Marmor M, Liddle K, Buckley J, Matityahu A. Effect of varus and valgus align-
ment on implant loading after proximal femur fracture fixation. Eur J Orthop Surg
an intramedullary device. Traumatol 2016;26:379–383.
The role of arthroplasty. Certain unstable intertrochanteric 12. Marmor M, Liddle K, Pekmezci M, Buckley J, Matityahu A. The effect of frac-
fractures of the hip can be treated by arthroplasty. Indica- ture pattern stability on implant loading in OTA type 31-A2 proximal femur fractures.
J Orthop Trauma 2013;27:683–689.
tions include existing arthritis, osteonecrosis of the femoral
13. No authors listed. AO/OTA Fracture and Dislocation Classification. https://
head, poor quality of bone or complications following aotrauma.aofoundation.org/Structure/education/self-directed-learning/reference-
internal fixation.60 There is limited evidence for the role of materials/classifications/Pages/ao-ota-classification.aspx (date last accessed 17
November 2016).
arthroplasty in treating unstable intertrochanteric frac-
14. Jin WJ, Dai LY, Cui YM, et al. Reliability of classification systems for intertrochan-
tures, with benefits including early mobilisation.60 The sur- teric fractures of the proximal femur in experienced orthopaedic surgeons. Injury
gery is technically challenging and should be undertaken by 2005;36:858–861.
an experienced arthroplasty surgeon. 15. Lorich DG, Geller DS, Nielson JH. Osteoporotic pertrochanteric hip fractures:
management and current controversies. Instr Course Lect 2004;53:441–454.
In conclusion, decision-making in the management of
16. Lindskog DM, Baumgaertner MR. Unstable intertrochanteric hip fractures in the
intertrochanteric fractures requires a thorough understand- elderly. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2004;12:179–190.
ing of the stability of the fracture and the implants which 17. Parker MJ, Handoll HH. Gamma and other cephalocondylic intramedullary nails
are available. More evidence on functional outcomes is versus extramedullary implants for extracapsular hip fractures in adults. Cochrane
Database of Syst Rev 2010;CD000093.
needed, especially in higher-functioning patients. It remains 18. Swart E, Makhni EC, Macaulay W, Rosenwasser MP, Bozic KJ. Cost-effective-
of critical importance to pay careful attention to the quality ness analysis of fixation options for intertrochanteric hip fractures. J Bone Joint Surg
[Am] 2014;96:1612–1620.
of the reduction and central and deep positioning of the
19. Krigbaum H, Takemoto S, Kim HT, Kuo AC. Costs and Complications of Short Ver-
screw or blade, regardless of implant. sus Long Cephalomedullary Nailing of OTA 31-A2 Proximal Femur Fractures in U.S.
Veterans. J Orthop Trauma 2016;30:125–129.
Take home message: 20. Bohl DD, Basques BA, Golinvaux NS, et al. Extramedullary compared with
intramedullary implants for intertrochanteric hip fractures: thirty-day outcomes of
There is conflicting evidence about the choice of implant in the 4432 procedures from the ACS NSQIP database. J Bone Joint Surg [Am]
treatment of intertrochanteric fractures of the hip, but assess- 2014;96:1871–1877.
ing the stability of the fracture allows one to choose between fixation 21. Lindvall E, Ghaffar S, Martirosian A, Husak L. Short vs Long Intramedullary Nails
in the Treatment of Pertrochanteric Hip Fractures. J Orthop Trauma 2016;30:119–124.
using a SHS or an intramedullary device.
22. Bhandari M, Schemitsch E, Jönsson A, Zlowodzki M, Haidukewych GJ.
Author contributions: Gamma nails revisited: gamma nails versus compression hip screws in the manage-
A. R. Socci: Primary researcher and writer. ment of intertrochanteric fractures of the hip: a meta-analysis. J Orthop Trauma
N. E. Casemyr: Researched and wrote significant portion of introduction, Edit- 2009;23:460–464.
ing and revising. 23. Basques BA, Bohl DD, Golinvaux NS, et al. Postoperative length of stay and 30-
M. P. Leslie: Wrote a section on technical aspects of reduction which was not day readmission after geriatric hip fracture: an analysis of 8434 patients. J Orthop
included, Participated in revision process. Trauma 2015;29:115–120.
M. R. Baumgaertner: Provided necessary oversight and guidance, Focused the
work on the most relevant references, concepts and controversies, Heavily 24. Liu P, Wu X, Shi H, et al. Intramedullary versus extramedullary fixation in the man-
involved in editing and revision. agement of subtrochanteric femur fractures: a meta-analysis. Clin Interv Aging
2015;10:803–811.
No benefits in any form have been received or will be received from a commer-
25. Utrilla AL, Reig JS, Muñoz FM, Tufanisco CB. Trochanteric gamma nail and com-
cial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.
pression hip screw for trochanteric fractures: a randomized, prospective, comparative
This article was primary edited by P. Page and first proof edited by J. Scott. study in 210 elderly patients with a new design of the gamma nail. J Orthop Trauma
2005;19:229–233.
26. Pajarinen J, Lindahl J, Michelsson O, Savolainen V, Hirvensalo E. Pertrochan-
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