header advert
Results 1 - 1 of 1
Results per page:
Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 101-B, Issue SUPP_6 | Pages 31 - 31
1 May 2019
ANALYSIS OF 3D-PRINTED ACETABULAR COMPONENTS FOR TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY: A COMPARATIVE RETRIEVAL STUDY WITH A CONVENTIONAL DESIGN
Dall'Ava L Hothi H Di Laura A Henckel J Shearing P Hart A
Full Access
View article

Introduction

Three-dimensional (3D) printing of porous titanium implants marks a revolution in orthopaedics, promising enhanced bony fixation whilst maintaining design equivalence with conventionally manufactured components. No retrieval study has investigated differences between implants manufactured using these two methods. Our study was the first to compare these two groups using novel non-destructive methods.

Materials and methods

We investigated 16 retrieved acetabular cups divided into ‘3D printed’ (n = 6; Delta TT) and ‘conventional’ (n = 10; Pinnacle Porocoat). The groups were matched for age, time to revision, size and gender (Table 1). Reasons for revision included unexplained pain, aseptic loosening, infection and ARMD. Visual inspection was performed to evaluate tissue attachment. Micro-CT was used to assess clinically relevant morphometric features of the porous structure, such as porosity, depth of the porous layer, pore size and strut thickness. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was applied to evaluate the surface morphology.