With regards to the revising or redoing the femoral component, there are two
broad trends. One is to rebuild the damage in the femur (thigh bone) with bone
graft. This technique is called impaction grafting. The femoral component which
is much like the one used in primary surgery, is then cemented into the grafted
bone.
The other broad trend is to use modular components without cement. Surgeons
proficient with both techniques have obtained good results though the impaction
grafting procedure has been around for longer than the modern modular components
for use without cement (the cementless components). As the risks of disease
transmission with bank transplant material have become well known and as the
legislation for running the banks and using donated bone has become more complex,
surgeons are not using impaction grafting as frequently as was the case only
a few years ago. The components used without cement are supplied in a "knocked
down" state which is very handy as it allows the surgeon to "make"
an implant by putting together the components at the time of surgery. This mean
that the implant can be "fabricated" in the operation theatre taking
into account the best fit and suitability for the patient. Often the surgeon
will have a wide choice of components or parts to put together in each section
of the implant for maximum flexibility.
For more information on Impaction Grafting, click here.
For more information on Modular Femoral Implants, click here.
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