Abstract
The first case was that of an 89-year-old woman with advanced dementia. After falling onto the left hip, she was admitted to the emergency room. Standard x-rays revealed an unstable intertrochanteric fracture. Closed reduction and internal fixation was performed using the long PFNA with a 105-mm helical blade, the second patient treated with this implant in our series. The operation was performed by an attending surgeon who was experienced with treatment of trochanteric fractures with intramedullary devices. Six weeks later the patient presented again with severe pain after she had fallen onto her left hip for a second time. Follow-up x-rays showed a perforation of the helical blade through the cortex of the femoral head after a shortening of the femoral neck by 2 cm. CCD angle was still 129 degrees, and there were no radiological signs of rotational displacement. The acetabular cartilage appeared intact. At her second operation, a replacement of the blade was performed using a shorter 95-mm implant. Postoperatively the patient was again mobilized under full weight bearing, and at 12 weeks follow-up, we found cut through again, we replaced hip with biopolar hemiarthroplasty.
