DIFFERENT WAYS TO TREAT SUBTROCHANTERIC FRACTURES WITH THE MEDOFF SLIDING PLATE

Thirty-two consecutive subtrochanteric fractures in 32 patients were s tabilized using the Medoff sliding plate and were followed up prospect ively for I year, Two patients died during the first postoperative yea r, Twenty-nine of the remaining 30 (97%) fractures united by 1-year fo llowup, Two types of plate dynamization schema were used: uniaxial (17 patients) and biaxial (15 patients), With uniaxial dynamization, plat e sliding averaged 12 mm along the femoral shaft without medialization of the femoral shaft, With biaxial dynamization along the femoral sha ft and the neck, plate sliding averaged 11 mm and screw in barrel slid ing averaged 9 mm; medialization of the femoral shaft ranged from 0% t o 35% of the femoral shaft diameter, Three fractures treated with unia xial dynamization had migration of the lag screw within the femoral he ad; all three fractures united without additional screw migration afte r secondary or staged biaxial plate dynamization.