Abstract
To review the results of periprosthetic femoral fractures treated using Dall-Miles cable and plates.
Periprosthetic femoral fractures are increasingly common and their treatment is challanging for Orthopaedic surgeons. Dall-Miles cable and palte system is the current impalnt of choice for periprosthetic femoral fractures following hip arthroplasty.
Between January 1999 and December 2001, twenty-two patients with periprosthetic femoral fracture around hip arthroplasty were treated with Dall-Miles system. Thirteen patients required bone grafting (allograft) at time of surgery. The average age of the group was 82 with eighteen females and four men. Thirteen were Vancouver type B2, two type B1, six type C and one type A fracture. All patients were followed up to fracture union. Two patients had fracture of the plate and required further surgery. Two patients had symptomatic loosening even though the fracture had united and underwent revision hip replacement. These four patients were Vancouver type B2. Nine Vancouver B2 patients had fracture union with no need for revision. All other patients had fracture union with no major complications.
The Dall-Miles cable and plate system provides an easy to use implant with satisfactory outcome. The simplicity of the system allows widespread acceptance in these increasingly common fractures. It is particularly useful to obtain bony union in elderly patients not fit enough for a major revision surgery.
Theses abstracts were prepared by Professor Roger Lemaire. Correspondence should be addressed to EFORT Central Office, Freihofstrasse 22, CH-8700 Küsnacht, Switzerland.
