Intertrochanteric Fracture​

An intertrochanteric fracture is a hip fracture within the femurs lesser or greater trochanters. The intertrochanteric area is just below the femoral neck and just above the subtrochanteric area. As this part of the hip is beyond the joint’s tough casing, it is known as an extracapsular fracture. There are stable and unstable intertrochanteric fractures. A stable fracture is when the femur is fractured into two or three parts, while an unstable fracture is when the femur is fractured in four or more parts. An unstable intertrochanteric fracture can also be when the fracture is a reverse oblique pattern, meaning the fracture appears like a subtrochanteric fracture although the fracture is within the intertrochanteric area. Doctors use different operations to fix a fractured hip depending on the type of the fracture. Stable fractures are repaired with a sliding hip screw and a side plate to keep it in position, while unstable fractures use a sliding hip screw with a short or long intramedullary hip screw, varying on the severity and location of the fracture.