OBJECTIVETo investigate clinical effect of long unstable femoral intertrochanteric fractures with locking plate and cable rope.

METHODSFrom June 2004 to June 2010, twenty-six elderly patients with long unstable femoral intertrochanteric fractures were treated locking plate and cable rope fixation,included 16 males and 10 females with an average age of (58.23 +/- 4.45) years ranging from 50 to 65 years. There were 22 cases for traffic accident, 10 of them for traffic accident with other injury; 4 cases for falling injury. According to Evans classification, 21 cases were in type I,among them 8 in type Ia, 10 in type Ib,2 in type Ic, 1 in type Id; the other 5 cases were type Hrd. Hip function scores were recorded to evaluate the treatment outcomes by Harris hip function score system.

RESULTSTwenty-six cases were followed-up for 9 to 18 months (means 15 months). The operations were successful. All the patients received functional training for walking without weight loading from 7 to 14 days after operation, and walking gradually in weight loading from 6 weeks after operation,gradually fully weight loading from 12 weeks. The Harris hip function score were 77.31 +/- 13.97, involving pain 39.79 +/- 6.54, function 31.08 +/- 9.45, deformity and activity 3.85 +/- 0.46. The clinical results were excellent in 10 cases, good in 13, fair in 3.

CONCLUSIONLocking plate and cable rope is suiteable for the treatment of senile long femoral intertrochanteric fractures of every Evans type, especially benefit for osteoporosis patients.