Management of infected non-union of subtrochanteric fracture: Two cases

Abstract

Infected non-union of subtrochanteric fractures is challenging to treat. We experienced two cases and had good clinical results. Treatment strategy comprised debridement without hesitation after considering later limb lengthening; insertion of the proximal lateral bone edge spike into the distal bone marrow cavity until achieving medial-side bony contact and holding good alignment to compensate for the medial-side bone loss, according to the modified Dimon method; and internal fixation with an angled plate in the decubitus position. The angle of the angled plate should be directed toward the abundant cancellous bone using preoperative computed tomography. Residual limb shortening after ORIF was improved by limb lengthening. Keywords: Subtrochanteric fracture, Fracture non-union, Infected non-union, Modified Dimon method