Objective To summarize the general concept of lateral wall, the causes of lateral wall injury, and surgical strategies in order to improve the understanding of lateral wall and reduce the complications of operation. Methods The related literature on lateral wall was extensively reviewed, summarized, and analyzed. Results The superior extent of the lateral wall is vastus lateralis ridge and the inferior extent is the intersection between the lateral femoral cortex and a line drawn at a tangent to the inferior femoral neck. The integrity of the lateral wall is important to prevent the failure of fixation and reoperation of intertrochanteric fractures. The main causes of injury are that there is no suitable typing criteria as a guide, the fracture pattern shown by X-ray does not match with the actual situation of the fracture, the type of fracture is special, and the operation is improper. The main treatment is to reconstruct the lateral wall and choose different reconstruction methods according to different fracture patterns. Conclusion The lateral wall is very important for the treatment of intertrochanteric fracture. Lateral wall fracture should be internal fixation in order to minimize the risk of reoperation.
With the deepening of the research on intertrochanteric fracture, the importance of " lateral wall” of femur is gradually recognized. The integrity of the lateral wall can affect the stability of intertrochanteric fractures, the choice of surgical methods and internal fixation, and the outcome of patients after surgery, which has become a research hotspot. However, there is no unified understanding on the definition of lateral wall, the judgement of injury status and the treatment of lateral wall fracture. This article reviews the literature, and combines with the clinical understanding of the role of the lateral femoral wall, in order to provide reference for orthopaedic surgeons and relevant researchers.
ObjectiveTo compare the effectiveness of proximal femoral nail anti-rotation (PFNA) combined with minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis (MIPPO) and Intertan intramedullary nail fixation by closed reduction in the treatment of AO/Orthopaedic Trauma Association (AO/OTA) type 31-A3.3 intertrochanteric fracture with incomplete lateral wall.MethodsThe clinical data of 54 patients with AO/OTA type 31-A3.3 intertrochanteric fracture who met the selection criteria and were admitted between January 2012 and January 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. According to different surgical methods, the patients were divided into group A (24 cases with lateral wall reconstruction by MIPPO combined with PFNA internal fixation) and group B (30 cases with Intertan intramedullary nail fixation by closed reduction only). There was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05) in terms of gender, age, side of injury, cause of injury, and combined medical diseases. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, time to weight-bearing, fracture healing time, and postoperative complications were recorded and compared between the two groups. The tip apex distance (TAD) was measured at 2 days, 2 months, and 1 year after operation. At 12 months after operation, the hip joint function was evaluated according to Harris scoring standard, and the rate of conformity (Harris score were more than 70) was calculated.ResultsThe wounds of the two groups healed by first intention, without infection, skin deformity, and other incision complications. The operation time and intraoperative blood loss of group A were significantly more than those of group B, and the time to weight-bearing and fracture healing were significantly shorter than those of group B (P<0.05). The patients were followed up 9-20 months (mean, 14.7 months) in group A and 9-19 months (mean, 13.8 months) in group B. There was no significant difference in TAD values at 2 days, 2 months, and 1 year after operation between the two groups (P<0.05), and there was also no significant difference in TAD values between the postoperative time points (P>0.05). There was 1 case of infection, 1 case of screw withdrawal, 2 cases of screw removal, and 1 case of bone nonunion in group B, the incidence of complications was 16.7%; there was only 1 case of screw withdrawal combined with screw blade withdrawal in group A, the incidence of complications was 4.2%; there was no significant difference between the two groups (χ2=2.109, P=0.146). At 12 months after operation, the Harris scores of pain, function, malunion, range of motion, and total score in group A were significantly better than those in group B (P<0.05). The rate of conformity of group A was 95.83% (23/24) and 76.67% (23/30) in group B, and the difference between the two groups was significant (χ2=3.881, P=0.049).ConclusionFor the AO/OTA type 31-A3.3 intertrochanteric fracture with incomplete lateral wall, compared with the closed reduction Intertan intramedullary nail fixation, the incidence of internal fixation failure after MIPPO reconstruction with lateral wall combined with PFNA fixation was lower, the time to weight-bearing was earlier, and the postoperative function was better.
Objective To review the research progress of the weak state of the lateral wall in intertrochanteric fracture, in order to provide clinical references. Methods The relevant research literature on the lateral wall of intertrochanteric fracture at home and abroad in recent years was summarized and analyzed in terms of morphology, fracture line in coronal plane, and bone density. Results Assessment of weak state of the lateral wall is particularly important in the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures. Lateral wall thickness is the main way to assess the weak state of the lateral wall, but there are still problems. Many scholars at home and abroad have studied various aspects such as width, height, and length of the anterior cortex, but there is a lack of a comprehensive assessment method. Coronal fractures affect lateral wall morphology and are difficult to detect on X-ray films, requiring vigilance on the part of the clinician. Further research is needed to clarify the correlation between bone density and the weak state of the lateral wall. The femur lesser trochanter fractures interacts with the latertal wall, and the lesser trochanter fracture exacerbates the weak state. The soft tissue around the lateral wall also affects the weak state, so attention must be paid to protecting the soft tissues during operation. Conclusion There are more methods for assessing the weak state of the lateral wall, but none of them has formed a unified standard. Most of the current studies assess the weak state from a single perspective and lack a comprehensive assessment of all aspects affecting the lateral wall. Fewer studies have been conducted to assess the residual lateral wall function after a partial fracture of the lateral wall, and further research is needed.