3D-printed antibiotic-loaded bone cement spacers as adjunctive therapy for hip periprosthetic infection after arthroplasty: A clinical assessment.

Objective: To explore the effect of three-dimensional (3D) printing to create personalized antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) spacers to assist in treatment of periprosthetic infection after total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Methods: The data of 40 patients with postoperative infection after THA were analysed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups: the 3D-printing group (age 47-78 years, n = 20) and the conventional group (age 57-78 years, n = 20). In stage I surgery, 3D-printed silicone moulds were used to create ALBC spacers for the 3D-printing group, while traditional manual methods were used to create spacers for the conventional group. After the infection was controlled, both groups underwent conventional hip revision surgery (stage II surgery). All patients were evaluated using the Harris Hip Score (HHS) (primary outcome) for hip function.

Results: All 40 patients had follow-up data from 3 months after stage I surgery and 12 months after stage II surgery. The intergroup difference in HHS was 11.25 points [97.5% confidence interval (CI) 7.92-14.58; P < 0.01] at 3 months after stage I surgery, and 9.15 points (97.5% CI 4.82-13.48; P < 0.01) at 12 months after stage II surgery. The overall difference between the two groups was 9.55 points (97.5% CI 5.83-13.27; P < 0.01), which was significant (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: During the follow-up period, the hip function of the 3D-printing group was superior to that of the conventional group following the treatment of infections after THA.