Ender nailing of trochanteric fractures. A review of 73 cases.

A clinical series of 73 patients with fractures of the trochanteric area of the femur was treated consecutively using ordinary Ender nails or two-dimensionally bent nails. Although primary mortality is low--three cases in the series--the method is affected by other complications. The most frequent of these was displacement of the nails, which led to a new operation in nine cases. Ender nailing is recommended in selected cases of pertrochanteric fractures of elderly people as a semiconservative method, when systemic illness or poor general condition contraindicates major surgical procedures.