24707612
OBJECTIVE	To show that patients with intertrochanteric fractures treated with a proximal femoral nail have a better postoperative course than those treated with a DHS plate ( dynamic hip screw ) .
METHODS	Patients with a Boyd & Griffin type II intertrochanteric fracture were randomly divided into two groups : a group of patients treated with a PFN and another one treated with a DHS plate .
METHODS	All patients were assessed at 2 , 4 , 8 and 16 weeks using the Harris scale and the visual analog scale pre - and postoperatively , as well as the operative time , incision size , intraoperative bleeding , onset of partial and/or total weight bearing , healing time , time to attain prior physical activity level , and radiographic result .
RESULTS	32 patients met our criteria .
RESULTS	The variables that had a significant reduction were : incision , operative time , postoperative pain according to the visual analog scale , onset of mobility , partial weight bearing and pain at 2 weeks .
CONCLUSIONS	The proximal femoral nail has better short-term outcomes than the DHS plate ; however , in the medium term both implants have the same outcomes .

