ABSTRACT
Objective To measure the proximal femoral parameters which can provide anatomic evidence for the design of internal fixation components for intertrochanteric fractures of femur.Methods Femoral speci- mens were harvested randomly from 120 healthy adult cadavers(left 60,fight 60).The neck shaft angle,greater trochanter slope length,tilt angle of greater trochanter,axial length of head and neck,lengths of upper and lower borders of the neck,and the minimum transverse diameter of the neck were measured.On the basis of the anatomic study,a two-claw plate was designed to treat 145 cases of femoral intertrochanteric fractures.Results The femoral neck shaft angle was 128.59??6.31?,femoral greater trochanter slope length was(5.5?0.58)cm,tilt angle of femoral greater trochanter was 42.76??5.20?,and axial length of head and neck was(9.42?0.38)cm. There was a correlation between the parameters.All the patients were followed up for a mean time of 23.6 months. The fractures got clinic union in 3 to 6 months.Two cases experienced detachment of claws and hooks but their final outcome was not affected.Three cases suffered coxa vara.All the other cases obtained normal motion function of hips and normal neck shaft angle.No breakage of claw,hook or nail was found in them.Conclusions It is necessary to design an internal fixator that can fit the anatomical features of Chinese femurs in the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures of femur.The two-claw plate designed by us is a good attempt to improve the clinical effect.