Objective: To describe the morphological characteristics of intertrochanteric femoral fractures and the role of three-dimensional computed tomography (3D CT) reconstruction in the classification of these fractures.
Subjects and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 57 patients with intertrochanteric femoral fractures treated at Saigon - ITO Hospital from April 2025 to April 2026.
Results: 3D CT reconstruction demonstrated superior performance to conventional radiography in detecting the morphological characteristics of intertrochanteric femoral fractures. The detection rates of posteromedial column involvement, a thin lateral wall (d < 20.5 mm) and fractures with ≥ 4 fragments on 3D CT reconstruction were 71.9%, 45.6% and 31.5%, respectively, compared with 49.1%, 29.8% and 12.3% on conventional radiography. Based on conventional radiography, stable and unstable fractures accounted for 54.4% and 45.6% of cases. However, when evaluated using 3D CT reconstruction, the proportion of unstable fractures increased to 59.6%, whereas the proportion of stable fractures decreased to 40.4%.
Conclusion: 3D CT reconstruction provides a more comprehensive assessment of the morphological characteristics of intertrochanteric femoral fractures than conventional radiography, thereby improving the accuracy of fracture classification and facilitating preoperative treatment planning.