Treatment of intertrochanteric nonunion of the proximal femur using the S-ROM prosthesis.

Nonunion is an uncommon yet devastating complication following intertrochanteric hip fracture, and few reports in the literature address this problem. This study examines the results of intertrochanteric nonunion treated with the uncemented S-ROM prosthesis in 10 patients. All patients demonstrated clinically significant pain relief and return to ambulation following hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty. Average Harris hip score was 86 after an average follow-up of 30 months; there was a trend toward better results in cases of pure intertrochanteric fractures compared to cases with subtrochanteric involvement. Radiographic follow-up demonstrated stable ingrowth in 9 cases, and few complications occurred in this series.