Acta Medica Medianae
Vol. 49, No 3, September, 2010
UDK 61
ISSN 0365-4478(Printed version)
ISSN 1821-2794(Online)
 

Correspondence to:

Vladimir Srećković Orthopaedics and Traumatology Ward

Health Centre Valjevo

14 000 Valjevo

Original article
UDC: 616.718.4-001.5-089

SURGICAL TREATMENT OF TROCHANTERIC FRACTURES BY GAMMA3 NAIL

Vladimir Srećković, Branko Stanković, Aleksandar Krajinović, Milić Kovačević, Dragan Jeremić, Aleksandar Vukićević and Predrag Živanović

                  Health Centre Valjevo Orthopaedics and Traumatology Ward

Fractures of the greater trochanter rank amongst severe injuries of bone tissue. They occur most frequently in patients over 65 years of age, nearly all of whom are diagnosed with osteoporosis. Non-surgical treatment does not prove to be satisfactory and results in high mortality rate. Surgical treatment is a method of fracture treatment of the trochanteric region, which enables early activation and thus prevents numerous complications in bedridden patients. Gamma3 nails are one of the most state-of-the-art implants for trochanteric fracture fixation. The implant is easy to embed, which does not require a large surgical team. This implant embedding requires the least invasive surgery and complications are rare.

This paper describes 47 patients who received surgical treatment and is focused on the first nine months of 2009. The patients were treated at the Orthopaedics Ward of Health Centre Valjevo. They were in their seventies, average age: 72.21 years, with female sex prevailing (63.82%). The outcome was as follows: excellent in 65.96%, good in 17.02% and satisfactory in 4.25% of patients. Surface infections occurred in 6.38% of patients. One implant broke.

We had one death outcome in the early post-surgical treatment.

Surgical treatment of trochanteric fractures by Gamma3 implants proved very effective as it resulted in few complications and numerous excellent functional and anatomic outcomes. Thus we recommend it as an option when decision on treatment of this type of fractures is made. Acta Medica Medianae 2010;49(3):27-31.

Key words: surgical treatment, trochanteric fracture, Gamma3 nail