Ender rod versus compression screw fixation of hip fractures

Eighty-seven matched pairs of patients with extracapsular hip fractures were treated with either Ender rod or compression screw and plate fixation. The data obtained both perioperatively and from one to 39 months postoperatively showed no significant differences with respect to infection rate, mortality, length of stay, or ultimate functional status. In the Ender rod group, 66.7% of the patients experienced technical problems, compared with 10.3% of patients in the compression screw group. The Ender technique offered few practical advantages and an unacceptably high level of problems, even when patients with only stable fractures were considered.