UNIPOLAR OR BIPOLAR PROSTHESIS FOR DISPLACED INTRACAPSULAR HIP FRACTURE IN OCTOGENARIANS - A RANDOMIZED PROSPECTIVE-STUDY

We performed a randomised prospective trial to compare a cemented unip olar prosthesis (Thompson) with a cemented bipolar prosthesis (Monk) i n the treatment of displaced intracapsular fractures of the hip in pat ients over 80 years of age, Patients with a mental test score of less than 5/13 were excluded but the mortality was still about 30% at one y ear in both groups, We therefore feel that subjective criteria such as the level of pain and the return to the preinjury state are of paramo unt importance. Two years after operation there was no statistical dif ference between the rate of complications in the two groups. After adj usting for confounding factors such as differences in the level of fun ction before injury between the groups, the degree of return to the pr einjury state was significantly greater (p = 0.04) when using the unip olar prosthesis, which is one-quarter of the price of the bipolar. We cannot therefore justify the use of an expensive bipolar prosthesis in patients over 80 years of age.