REVIEW OF A CLINICAL CASE OF TRANSTROCHANTERIC FRACTURE

Introduction: Intertrochanteric or transtrochanteric fractures are defined as extracapsular fractures of the proximal femur that occur between the greater and lesser trochanter. A clinical case is described below from the time of the initial incident to the final ambulatory control and updated notes on the management of intertrochanteric fractures are made. Objective: to describe this clinical case objectively and to make an analysis of the subject. Methodology: An objective description of the clinical case and a review with analysis of a total of 17 articles, including review and original articles, as well as cases and clinical trials, of which 9 bibliographies were used because the information collected was not sufficiently important to be included in this study. The sources of information were Cochrane, PubMed and Google Scholar; the terms used to search for information in Spanish, Portuguese and English were: transtrochanteric fracture, femur fracture, intertrochanteric fracture, femur osteosynthesis. Results: the use of cephalomedullary nails reduces fracture collapse in comparison with the screwed plate. Cephalomedullary nails have been more effective in intertrochanteric fractures with subtrochanteric extension and in fractures with a reverse obliquity pattern. The type of surgical treatment is based on the fracture pattern and its inherent stability, since the failure rate is highly correlated with the choice of implant and fracture pattern. Conclusions: it is of utmost importance to know the proper management of a fractured patient, especially when the fracture is severe and life-threatening. The management of proximal femoral fractures will depend on their classification and the condition of the affected individual. Therefore, a good imaging study is essential. When deciding on a surgical approach, the material to choose in the procedures has to be ordered with planning and caution, because this will vary according to the type of fracture, being usual to perform different types of surgeries in intertrochanteric fractures being more common the use of intramedullary nails compared to femoral neck fractures, where it is more common the use of cannulated screws, or prosthesis depending on the type of fracture trace. Our clinical case gives a brief view on the surgical management of the pathology, which has to be understood for the best performance of the patient. KEY WORDS: fracture, transtrochanteric, femur, intertrochanteric.