ABSTRACT
Objective:To compare the mid-term clinical efficacy of total hip replacement (THR) and closed reduction and external fixation (CREF) in treatment of intertrochanteric fractures in the elderly.Methods:A retrospective case-control study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 155 elderly patients with unilateral intertrochanteric fractures admitted to Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University from June 2011 to June 2019, including 63 males and 92 females, aged 70-98 years [(80.1±7.0)years]. According to Jensen-Evans classification, the type of fracture was type I in 2 patients, type II in 21, type III in 24, type IV in 36, type V in 67, and type R in 5. A total of 85 patients were treated by THR (THR Group) and 70 patients by CREF (CREF group). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, blood transfusion rate, length of hospital stay, postoperative complication rate, Harris hip score at postoperative 1 year, excellent and good rate of hip joint function, and 12-item short form health survey (SF-12) physical component summary score (SF-12PCS) of postoperative quality of life, mortality rate within 1 year and survival rate were compared between the two groups.Results:The follow-up time was 1.0-9.5 years [(3.9±2.4)years]. A total of, 140 patients were followed up for more than one year, 2 patients were lost, 13 patients died within 1 year after surgery. The operation time [77(60, 100)minutes] and intraoperative blood loss [(290.6±182.3)ml] in THR group were significantly longer or more than those in CREF Group [55(50, 70)minutes, (30.5±25.0)ml] ( P<0.05). The blood transfusion rate [78%(66/85)] in THR group was significantly higher than that in CREF Group [21%(15/70)] ( P<0.05). The length of hospital stay and incidence of postoperative complications were similar between the two groups ( P>0.05). One year after operation, the Harris hip score [(84.4±15.1)points], excellent and good rate of hip joint function [76%(63/83)] and SF-12 PCS score [(16.2±1.0)points] in THR group were significantly higher than those in CREF group [(69.0±21.6)points, 43%(27/63), (14.1±2.2)points] ( P<0.05). The mortality within 1 year after operation was similar between the two groups ( P>0.05). The survival curve analysis showed that the survival status in THR group was better than that in CREF group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with CREF, THR has better joint function and quality of life, as well as a higher overall survival rate when applied to treat intertrochanteric fractures in the elderly patients.