Dynamic Hip Screw Plate Length in Stable Intertrochanteric Fracture Neck of Femur: A Systematic Review

There has always been a debate between the use of four and two-hole plate for the fixation of stable intertrochanteric fractures. The choice is usually influenced by the general practice of the particular institution and the surgeon's preference. While the dynamic hip screw (DHS) is the implant of choice for stable intertrochanteric fractures of the femur, the length of the side plate to be chosen for optimal results has no clear consensus and previous studies regarding the same have been inconclusive. In our systematic review, we aimed to review the evidence available on the selection of the optimal length of the side plate and bridge the glaring gap that exists in the literature. Our systematic review included a thorough search of databases like PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library, using the Preferred Reporting for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We included both clinical and biomechanical studies satisfying our search criteria on two- and four-hole DHS implants. A total of 4556 results were obtained from the above databases, sorting out led to final 15 studies on the topic. It was found that the two-hole DHS implant was inferior in terms of lab-controlled biomechanical properties, while only having a slight advantage in terms of real-life postoperative blood transfusions and operative time. At the same time, the two-hole plate was similar to the four-hole plate in other clinical parameters. In this study, the two-hole plate while appearing promising in a few areas did fall short in other aspects like biomechanical studies, and the use should be reserved for cases where a four-hole plate cannot be used until further randomised control trials are carried out.