External fixation via the anterior inferior iliac spine for proximal femoral fractures in young patients

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Acute treatment of young patients with proximal femoral fracture (PFF) remains a challenge for trauma surgeons due to major fracture displacement and heavy pain in clinical practice. Traditional methods have a variety of intrinsic defaults and cannot successfully manage the requirements of young patients. Benefiting from our anatomic research, we explored a new method of external fixation for this specific trauma and evaluated its feasibility and clinical outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-three young multiple-trauma patients with PFF were included in this study. Surgical treatment was applied using an external fixator via the anterior inferior iliac spine (AIIS). Electronic patient records, surgical characteristics, clinical outcomes, and complications were reviewed for each patient. RESULTS: The mean surgical time was 30.3 ± 7.3 min. The mean blood loss was 25.3 ± 10.8 mL. No iatrogenic nerve palsy, pin tract infection, failure of external fixation, or bedsores were observed. The postoperative visual analog scale score was significantly lower than the preoperative score (P < 0.01). The mean fracture reduction rate of the femur was 58.1 ± 17.0%, and the mean degree of reduction was 13.5 ± 6.9°. The mean external fixation time was 7.6 ± 4.0 days and intramedullary nailing was performed. The mean hospital, follow-up, and healing times were 28.7 ± 8.7 days, 23.5 ± 7.9 months, and 22.8 ± 5.7 weeks, respectively. The Harris Hip Score indicated excellent or good results in 20 patients. CONCLUSION: Collectively, the results of this study revealed that external fixation via the AIIS is a safe, rapid, and effective method for acute treatment of PFF in young patients.