Background: Advancements in modern medicine have given people the opportunity to live longer. The resultant increase in the elderly population
has led to a higher incidence of peri-trochanteric fractures of the femur. The preferred implant for the comminuted unstable variety has been
intramedullary nails with one or two head/neck compression screws, which are known to have high rate of complications like screw cut-out, back
out, Z-effect, varus collapse and rotational instability, especially in the osteoporotic patients leading to the development of helical blade systems.
Here we have compared the results of trochanteric xation nail (TFN) and short proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA)-II.
Methods: It was a retrospective, comparative study in seventy-ve patients with comminuted unstable trochanteric fractures (AO classication31A2) treated using TFN in 34 and short PFNA-II in 41 patients with a minimum follow up period of six months.
Results: Most of the data were comparable between the two groups except: signicantly higher operation time and implant-related complications
in the TFN group. No signicant differences in the functional outcome between the two groups were noted as indicated by Harris Hip Score at six
months.
Conclusion: Short PFNA-II should be used in preference to TFN for comminuted unstable trochanteric fractures with no sub-trochanteric
extension in the elderly osteoporotic patients in view of the shorter operative time, easier insertion and lower complications rate.
Comparative study of impression and cutting into ice by helical blade
