Classification of hip fractures.

Several classifications of hip fractures have been proposed in the literature. The usefulness of classifications of hip fractures was examined between Belgian Orthopaedic and General Surgeons. Garden's classification of subcapital fractures is the most widely adopted system. Simple anatomic identification is preferred by 64.9 per cent for intertrochanteric fractures and by 78.7 per cent for subtrochanteric fractures. Classifications of fractures for clinical research are considered necessary by 89.4 per cent but there is no universally accepted system. Radiographs of 5 hips were classified by 10 colleagues using the AO Classification system. No fracture was classified identical by all observers. This confirms earlier studies that observers had a poor ability to classify hip fractures according to a given classification system.