2018 OTA Annual Meeting: Short Versus Long Cephalomedullary Nailing of Pertrochanteric Hip Fractures: A Randomized Prospective Study

220 patients with a pertrochanteric fracture and scheduled for cephalomedullary nail fixation were randomized to receive either a short or long cephalomedullary nail. Primary outcome of interest was patient reported outcome at 3 months postoperatively on the SF-36 and Harris Hip Score measures. Secondary outcomes included incidence of complications and reoperation, and perioperative parameters (operative time, blood loss, length of stay). Results demonstrated a nonsignificant difference between groups in SF-36 scores, and statistically-significant-but-not-clinically-relevant difference in HHS. Perioperative parameters all favoured the short nail group, while incidences of complications and reoperations did not significantly differ between groups.