The MINUS system was developed as a minimally invasive procedure that uses a diaphyseal cephalic extramedullary implant for the treatment of transtrochanteral fractures of the femur in elderly patients. The implant consists of a sliding screw coupled to a plate adapted to the minimally invasive technique. The surgical access is approximately three centimeters in length located on the lateral surface of the hip, below the projection of the small trochanter. A perfectly adapted instrument was used for the procedure, which also requires the use of an image intensifier, reducing surgery time and rate of bleeding. The objective of this study is to present a new instrument and implant, developed specifically for treatment with the minimally invasive technique, reducing the length of the conventional surgical access from 10 to three centimetres. This new implant was given the commercial name of MINUS System.

We report here the results of a retrospective study on 120 patients treated for transtrochanteric fractures of the femur using a minimally invasive technique with an extramedullary sliding pin as implant -which we denoted the MINUS System. The evaluation was carried out in in the postoperative period, and the levels of haemoglobin (Hb) and haematocrit (Ht), surgical time, radiological screening time and pain levels were recorded. Prior to the operation, mean Hb and Ht were 11.69 g/dl and 35.72%, respectively; in the immediate postoperative period, they were 10.35 g/dl and 32.4%, respectively. Mean operating time was 39.35 min. Average postoperative pain was assessed at 4.44 (on a scale of 1 to 10). The average time for screening was 1.07 min. Based on these criteria, we conclude that the minimally invasive technique of the MINUS System allows for a shorter operating time and a minimal blood loss in the treatment of transtrochanteric fractures of the femur.

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The authors declare that there was no conflict of interest in conducting this work ABSTRACTThe MINUS system was developed as a minimally invasive procedure that uses a diaphyseal cephalic extramedullary implant for the treatment of transtrochanteral fractures of the femur in elderly patients. The implant consists of a sliding screw coupled to a plate adapted to the minimally invasive technique. The surgical access is approximately three centimeters in length located on the lateral surface of the hip, below the projection of the small trochanter. A perfectly adapted instrument was used for the procedure, which also requires the use of an image intensifier, reducing surgery time and rate of bleeding. The objective of this study is to present a new instrument and implant, developed specifically for treatment with the minimally invasive technique, reducing the length of the conventional surgical access from 10 to three centimetres. This new implant was given the commercial name of MI-NUS System.

Objective: The aim of this study was to present a minimally invasive anterolateral access route and to ascertain whether this enables total hip replacement without compromising the quality of the implant positioning, while maintaining the integrity of the gluteus muscles. Method: A retrospective study was conducted on 260 patients (186 females and 74 males) with an average age of 62 years. There were 18 bilateral cases, totaling 278 hips. All the patients had osteoarthritis and had undergone non-cemented total hip arthroplasty (metal-metal or metal-polyethylene) between October 2004 and December 2007. A minimally invasive anterolateral access route was used, measuring 7 to 10 cm in length, according to body weight and the size of the femoral head. The patients were assessed clinically regarding age, sex and presence of the Trendelenburg sign, and radiologically regarding acetabular and femoral positioning. Results: The acetabular inclination was between 30° and 40° in 78 patients, between 41° and 50° in 189 patients, and 51° or over in 11 patients. On anteroposterior radiographs to study femoral positioning, the positioning was central in 209 cases, 41 presented valgus deviation and 28 presented varus deviation. On lateral views, 173 were central, 67 anterior and 38 posterior. The mean duration of the procedure was 63 minutes. Regarding complications, there were five cases of infection, three of deep vein thrombosis, two of hip dislocation, 80 of lengthening of the lower limbs and five of shortening of the operated limb. The Trendelenburg sign was present in four cases, of which one showed superior gluteal nerve injury. Conclusion: The minimally invasive anterolateral access route made it possible to perform total hip arthroplasty without compromising the positioning of the implants, thereby maintaining the integrity of the gluteus muscles.