Comparison of accuracy of lag screw placement in cephalocondylic nails and sliding hip screw plate fixation for extracapsular fractures of the neck of femur

This study compared the accuracy of lag screw placement between extracapsular femoral fractures fixed with sliding hip screw plate systems and those fixed with cephalocondylic nails. It involved 75 retrospective radiographs of fractures fixed with either a cephalocondylic nail (32) or a sliding hip screw plate system (43). Postoperative anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the hip were scanned using a digital X-ray scanner and measured using computer software. Measurements were conducted by two independent observers, and the radiographs were calibrated to correct for magnification. Accuracy of lag screw placement was determined by "tip apex distance," described by Baumgaertner et al., and by the ratio method described by Parker. The mean tip apex distance was 24.0 mm in sliding hip screw plate systems and 21.1 mm in cephalocondylic nails. This was found to be statistically significant. Lag screw placement through cephalocondylic nails is more accurate and therefore has less chance of cut-out compared with sliding hip screw plate systems. There was no statistically significant difference using Parker's ratio method because this method quantifies the direction of the screw rather than the depth of penetration.