A Technique for Intraoperative Construction of Antibiotic Spacers

A technique for intraoperatively creating an antibiotic spacer for two-stage treatment of infected total knee replacements is described. An intraoperative mold is made from the removed components and used to create antibiotic spacers with surface contours similar to those of the original total knee replacement. The spacers restore leg length and knee stability. This allows limited function during the interval before reimplantation of the new total knee replacement. It is a cost-effective and convenient technique for creating a suitably shaped and sized cement spacer for two-stage revision total knee replacement after infection. The clinical results of 12 consecutive patients using this technique with minimum of 2 years followup seem to be at least equal or better than results reported in previous studies.

Level of Evidence: Prognostic study, Level II (retrospective study). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.