Impending or completed pathologic femur fractures treated with intramedullary hip screws

This study examined the use of the long intramedullary hip screw in 13 cons ecutive patients with metastatic disease of the femur with impending or com pleted fractures. There were 6 impending and 7 completed fractures. Eleven of 13 patients had unreamed rods placed with an average operative time of 1 00 minutes and blood loss of 280 cc. Eleven of 12 patients who were able to ambulate preoperatively regained that status postoperatively. Postoperativ e complications included death (1), myocardial infarction (1), and urinary tract infection (2). These results indicate the long intramedullary hip scr ew is a safe and effective surgical device for treating metastatic disease of the femur.