Treatment of pathological fractures

The treatment of 30 patients with 34 pathological fractures is reported. Twenty-six femoral fractures and one ulnar fracture were fixed internally, whereas five fractures of the humerus, one of the radius, and one of the clavicle were treated non-operatively. Twenty-two of the patients were discharged from hospital (21 were mobilized) and eight died in the postoperative period. All patients became free of pain, and bony union occurred in 12 of the fractures. Thirteen per cent of the patients lived less than 1 month whereas 20 per cent lived more than 24 months after fracture. Previously published figures and our results indicate the place of prophylactic nailing of certain femoral metastases, perhaps also in connection with local irradiation of the metastases.