Comparison of the Clinical Effectiveness of PFNA, PFLCP, and DHS in Treatment of Unstable Intertrochanteric Femoral Fracture

In this study, a randomized trial was conducted to compare the clinical effectiveness of proximal femoral locking compression plate (PFLCP), dynamic hip screw (DHS), and proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) for unstable intertrochanteric femoral fracture treatment. Ninety patients diagnosed with unstable intertrochanteric femoral fracture were enrolled in this study at the department of orthopedics at Linyi Second People's Hospital between May 2010 and May 2012. Fractures were classified according to Tronzo–Evans classification, and the patients were randomly divided into 3 groups, PFLCP, DHS, and PFNA, with 30 patients in each group. The length of incision, operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage, postoperative weight-bearing ambulation time, and duration of fracture union were significantly lower in patients who underwent PFNA and PFLCP compared to patients treated with DHS. Furthermore, when the same clinical parameters were used for comparison, the PFNA group showed markedly lower values compared with the PFLCP group. The total incidence of postoperative complications was significantly different among the PFNA, PFLCP, and DHS groups, with the PFNA group exhibiting markedly lower complication rates compared with PFLCP and DHS groups. However, PFLCP and DHS groups did not show significant differences in the incidence of postoperative complications. Notably, the Harris hip score of PFNA group was markedly higher than the DHS group. In conclusion, our results provide convincing evidence that PFNA may be the most effective internal fixation treatment of unstable intertrochanteric femoral fracture.