Oktay Belhan, Ahmet Ekinci, Lokman Karakurt, Erhan Yılmaz, Erhan Serin

Fırat University, Medical Faculty, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology Elazığ, Turkey

Keywords: Femur shaft fractures, External fixator, Hybrid Ilizarov fixator

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of femoral shaft fractures treated with hybrid Ilizarov external fixator. Patients and methods Patients with femoral fractures (n=30) treated by hybrid Ilizarov external fixator were evaluated. There were 8 (26.7%) females and 22 (73.3%) males and the mean age was 34.6 (18-56) years. There were 25 open fractures. According to Gustillo-Anderson classification; 9 were Grade II, 7 were Grade III A and 9 were Grade III B. In all cases, while two rings were placed distal to the fracture line using connectors and different numbers of 90º-120º femoral arches, these rings were fixed to the proximal segment by using the half pins.
Results: All patients were evaluated in accordance with functional and radiographic results; 43.3% were excellent, 33.3% good, 16.6% intermediate and 6.6% poor.
Conclusion: Applying a standart frame configuration may not be possible in proximal femur fractures due to the complex anatomical structure and rich neurovascular configuration. While using K-wires, there will be a risk of introducing K-wires to crucial neurovascular areas, so hybrid external fixators are preferred. We choose hybrid fixators for their safety and ease of application for femural shaft fractures.