Hemiarthroplasty for Intertrochanteric Fractures in Elderly Patients

Abstract

Purpose: The effectiveness of the hemiarthroplasty in the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures of the elderly patients is discussed. Material: During 1988-1995, 46 patients who diagnosed as intertrochanteric fractures were treated by hemiarthroplasty at 1st Orthopaedics and Traumatology Clinic of SSK Tepecik Training Hospital. Mean age of them was 76.6 years and mean follow-up period was 29 months.
Method: We preferred posterior Osborne incision. For 32 patients, a special design straight stem Moore prostheses with cement were applied; 4 patients were treated with Thompson prostheses with cement. The remaining 10 patients underwent surgery with prostheses which had a straight stem and modular head system.
Results: At an average of 2.4 days the patients started to sit in bed, except the one who could not walk and they started to walk at an average of 5.6 days. According to Merle D'Aubigne criteria, results are accepted as excellent and good at 72.4% of the cases.
Discussion: Treatment of intertrochanteric fractures by hemiarthroplasty could be accepted as a bold application by anyone. But hemiarthroplasty application allows to early mobilisation and walking in elderly and medical compromised patients. Fast clinical recovery is possible.
Conclusion: For elder and medical compromised patients, hemiarthroplasty in the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures could be a good alternative treatment option.