ABSTRACT
Background: To compare the clinical and radiological outcomes of patients with intertrochanteric fractures treated with PFNA-II versus DHS. Material & Methods:50 adult patients with inter-trochanteric fractures, >20 years old, were randomly distributed into the PFNA-II and DHS groups. DHS with side-plate and proximal femoral nail A-II of appropriate size was used. The patients were regularly followed up till 1 year post-operatively. The clinical, radiological and functional evaluations were done at regular intervals. The peri-operative, early and delayed complications were recorded, and the final outcome of either group was evaluated using the Harris Hip Score. Results:In the DHS group, the mean Harris Hip Score was slightly lower than that of the PFNA-II group at six month follow-up. However, at the 1 year follow-up, both the groups achieved similar Harris Hip Scores. Conclusion:PFNA-II provides a significantly shorter operative time with a smaller incision that leads to lesser blood loss and wound-related complications. However, the incidence of procedural errors was significantly higher in PFNA-II when compared with DHS as it is a technically more demanding procedure that leads to more implant failures and consequent re-operations.