Abstract: Background: Intertrochanteric fractures of the femur are fairly common injuries seen in Orthopaedic practice and have a bimodal age distribution. Various modalities of treatment are available in the management of these fractures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the proximal femoral nail (PFN) in the management of these fractures and to assess the functional outcome using the Harris hip score.
Methods: 30 patients with Intertrochanteric fractures of the femur who were willing for surgery and follow up were included in our study and were treated with proximal femoral nail and were followed up for a 3 year period.
Results: There was a male preponderance seen in our study with the right hip being more commonly affected. The most common mode of injury was slip and fall followed by road traffic accidents. The mean surgical time was 59.03 minutes and the average time to fracture union was 12.4 weeks. The mean Harris hip score was 83.3 and we had excellent results in 5 patients and good results in 12 of them.
Conclusion: Proximal femoral nailing is an effective treatment option in the management of intertrochanteric fractures of the femur and is associated with lesser operating times, minimal blood loss and earlier weight bearing as compared to other fixation methods and rehabilitation of the patients is quite rapid as well leading to a good functional outcome.
