[Treatment of intertrochanteric fractures in the advanced age patients by external fixators].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of external fixators on the intertrochanteric fracture in the advanced age patients.

METHODS: From June 2008 to September 2010,32 cases who failed to be operated by the regular open-sugery were divided into two groups randomly, 16 of those were put in traction and conservative treatment;and the other 16 patients were treated by external fixation under anesthetization. In the traction group, there were 9 males and 7 females with an average age of (79.19 +/- 1.83) years ranging from 78 to 85. In the external fixation group, there were 10 males and 6 females with an average age of (79.69 +/- 2.41) years ranging from 78 to 88 years. Acoording to the Evans-Jensen classification,in the traction group, there were 6 cases of type I ,6 cases of type II, 7 cases of type III and lieing in bed 45 days in average; in the external fixation group, there were 6 cases of type I ,5 cases of type II, 2 cases of type III, 2 cases of type IV, and non-weight loading walking after surgery in a week in average.

RESULTS: In the traction group, 3 of them had decubitus, 3 of them had cardiopulmonary insufficiency, 2 of them had infection from traction needles, and 1 of them had pneumonia; in the external fixatioin group, only 2 of them had coxa vara. Based on the Harris scoring for the assessment of the function of hip join,in the traction group, the results were excellent in 4 cases,good in 3,fair in 3,poor in 6; in the external fixation group,the results were excellent in 10 cases, good in 3, fair in 2, poor in 1.

CONCLUSION: Thus, the use of external fixation on the intertrochanteric fracture is a strong safe and effective method in treating intertrochanteric fracture of the advanced age patients.