Michael R. Baumgaertner, MD

Earning “gold standard” status shortly after its introduction in the 1970s, the sliding hip screw and sideplate combination was the near unanimous choice to manage intertrochanteric hip fracture until intramedullary hip screw designs (e.g., Gamma [Stryker], IMHS [Smith&Nephew], etc.) became available after 1990. The newer devices provide a robust intramedullary buttress that has been demonstrated to more effectively resist excessive fracture collapse and promote earlier rehabilitation. Currently, most extracapsular proximal femur fractures are managed percutaneously or semipercutaneously with intramedullary implants. What has not received adequate attention is an adjunctive implant available for use with the sideplate that provides equivalent mechanical advantages as the current intramedullary devices (Figure 1).