Acetabular custom-made implants for severe acetabular bone defect in revision total hip arthroplasty: a systematic review of the literature

Purpose The management of acetabular bone loss is a challenging problem in revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA). The aim of this systematic review is to summarize and critically analyze indications, complications, clinical and radiological outcomes of custom-made acetabular components in rTHA. Methods A systematic review of English literature was performed on Medline. Retrospective or prospective studies with minimum 2 years of follow-up (FU) were included. The PRISMA 2009 flowchart and checklist were considered to edit the review. Rates of intra- or post-operative complications, aseptic loosening (AL), periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), reoperations and re-revisions rates were extrapolated. Results 18 articles with a level of evidence of IV were included. Six hundred and thirty-four acetabular custom components (627 patients) with a mean FU of 58.6 +/- 29.8 months were analyzed. The studies showed good clinical and functional outcomes. Custom-made acetabular components allowed a stable fixation with 94.0 +/- 5.0% survival rate. The estimated rate of re-operations and re-revisions were 19.3 +/- 17.3% and 5.2 +/- 4.7%, respectively. The incidence of PJI was 4.0 +/- 3.9%. Conclusions The acetabular custom-made implants represent a reliable solution for pelvic discontinuity and particular cases of bone loss classified as Paprosky Type IIIA-B or type III-IV according to American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons system where the feature of the defect cannot be handled with standard implants. This strategy allows to fit the implant to the residual host bone, bypassing the bony deficiency and restoring hip biomechanics. Satisfactory clinical and radiological outcomes at mid-term follow-up are reported in literature.