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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
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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.

Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 101-B, Issue SUPP_5 | Pages 85 - 85
1 Apr 2019
RETRIEVAL ANALYSIS OF 3D-PRINTED TITANIUM ORTHOPAEDIC IMPLANTS
Dall'Ava L Hothi H Henckel J Cerquiglini A Laura AD Shearing P Hart A
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Introduction

The use of Additive Manufacturing (AM) to 3D print titanium implants is becoming widespread in orthopaedics, particularly in producing cementless porous acetabular components that are either custom-made or off-the-shelf; the primary design rationale for this is enhanced bony fixation by matching the porosity of bone. Analysis of these retrieved components can help us understand their performance; in this study we introduce a non-destructive method of the retrieval analysis of 3D printed implants.

Material and methods

We examined 11 retrieved 3D printed acetabular cups divided into two groups: “custom-made” (n = 4) and “off-the-shelf” (n = 7). A macroscopic visual analysis was initially performed to measure the area of tissue ongrowth. High resolution imaging of each component was captured using a micro-CT scanner and 3D reconstructed models were used to assess clinically relevant morphometric features of the porous structure: porosity, porous structure thickness, pore size and strut thickness. Optical microscopy was also used as a comparison with microCT results. Surface morphology and elemental composition of the implants were investigated with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) coupled with an Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscope (EDS). Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate possible differences between the two groups.

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