[Pathologic fractures of the hip joint]

28 patients underwent surgical treatment because of pathological fractures of the hip joint. 13 patients suffered from fractures of the femur because of benign tumours, whereas surgical treatment became necessary because of malignant tumours or because of fractures caused by metastases in 15 patients. Special attention is drawn to six patients out of the latter group. In these cases, spontaneous femoral fracture was caused by weakness subsequent to irradiation of malignant genital tumours. The results of our treatment were generally good in the first group. Poor results or even failure of treatment occurred comparatively often in the patients of the second group. The patients of the second group underwent surgical treatment mainly to reduce or eliminate pain, to regain mobility, to facilitate care and, last but not least, to shorten the hospitalisation period. Whenever possible, we tried to carry out complete surgery in both groups in respect of stability and function, because we believe that combined surgical and chemotherapeutical treatment can relieve the effects and arrest the progress of malignant disease and may exercise an influence on the survival time.