Currently, there are two surgical ways to treat intertrochanteric fractures among the elderly, including extramedullary or intramedullary fixation. [1,2] Although extramedullary fixation is the conventional treatment of intertrochanteric fractures, intramedullary fixation has become a more popular method with the development and progress of intramedullary instruments. [3] The optimal choice between the helical blade and lag screw is still controversial. [4][5][6] Some pieces of literature have reported that there is no difference in the clinical efficacy, excepted for the operation time that the lag screw is longer than that of the helical blade. [7] However, biomechanical studies have shown that the helical blade is superior to the conventional solid lag Objectives: In this review, we aimed to compare the radiological and functional outcomes between the helical blade and lag screw in treating intertrochanteric fractures among the elderly and to provide suggestions for clinical treatment.
Materials and methods:Between January 1 st , 1990 and January 12 th , 2022, the literature search in document databases identified eligible randomized-controlled trials (RCT) studies directly comparing the helical blade and lag screws for treating hip fractures. The mechanical failure rates, the excellent and good rate of fracture reduction, Harris Hip Score (HHS), and postoperative hip pain of two intramedullary devices (helical blades versus lag screws) in patients with intertrochanteric fractures were analyzed using the RevMan software and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. The random-effects models were used for statistical analysis.Results: A total of 11 articles containing 1,146 patients for helical blade and lag screw comparison were included. Compared to the lag screws, the mechanical failure rate (odds ratio [OR]=0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.40-1.27, p=0.25), the excellent and good rate of fracture reduction (OR=1.33, 95% CI 0.61-2.90, p=0.48), HHS (mean differences 1.83, 95% CI -0.29-1.83, p=0.09), and postoperative hip pain (OR=0.41, 95% CI 0.14-1.21, p=0.11) were similar with the helical blades. There was no significant difference between the two implants in terms of the treatment outcomes.
Conclusion:Both helical blades and lag screws are good choices for treating intertrochanteric fracture among elderly.