OBJECTIVE: To analyze the use of the gamma nail in the treatment of pertrochanteric fractures. DESIGN: Prospective. SETTING: University. PATIENTS: Sixty-three fractures in sixty-three patients treated with gamma nails. RESULTS: Forty-five of the sixty-three patients (71 percent) were followed until the end of treatment, for an average follow-up period of 7.2 months. Of the remaining eighteen, eleven died and seven were lost to follow-up. Reduction was classified as good in thirty-eight cases, acceptable in nineteen, and unsatisfactory in six. CONCLUSION: The findings from this series indicate that, compared with other methods, the gamma nail enables the surgeon to treat more types of hip fractures with a less invasive technique and achieve equal or better results.