ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomaterials
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1557882
3D-printed porous tantalum for acetabular reconstruction in complex primary arthroplasty and revision of hip
Provisionally accepted
Zonghan WangZe WangLingchuan GuYing ZhangTiao SuJiangming LuoChengjun HuangXiaoyuan GongYang Peng
Guangxing Chen*- Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
In cases of hip joint damage, such as osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), avascular necrosis, or hip fractures, total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a critical surgical intervention. For individuals whose hip abnormalities stem from congenital issues, injuries, or previous operations, this procedure can encounter considerable obstacles, including complex bone defects, soft tissue deficiencies, and an increased risk of infections, which may result in poor alignment, joint instability, and higher need for revisions. This study explored the application of personalized, three-dimensional (3D)-printed porous tantalum buttresses designed specifically for acetabular reconstruction. Renowned for its compatibility with human biology, tantalum facilitates superior integration with natural bone. The development process started with the generation of meticulous computer-aided design (CAD) models, derived from preoperative imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) scans and (magnetic resonance imaging) MRIs, which allowed for the creation of components precisely matching each patient's unique anatomical structure. The 3Dprinted porous tantalum buttresses were made by cutting-edge additive manufacturing methods.The porosity of the tantalum structure promoted the growth of new bone tissue into the implant, improving its stability and durability. During surgeries, the buttress was positioned to reconstruct the acetabulum, laying a solid foundation for the artificial hip joint. The results of our study showed that all surgeries were successfully completed with no significant vascular or nerve damage.Postoperative evaluations showed that the buttress had excellent biomechanical function and firm fixation, with a large amount of bone ingrowth, improving the fitness and performance of the implant while reducing the possibility of subsequent problems such as loosening or dislocation.This innovative technique has great potential in clinical practice for better outcomes and quality of life for patients with complex hip deformities.
Keywords: Total hip arthroplasty, 3D-printed tantalum buttresses, Acetabular reconstruction, Osseointegration, Personalized implants
Received: 09 Jan 2025; Accepted: 16 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Wang, Gu, Zhang, Su, Luo, Huang, Gong, Peng and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Guangxing Chen, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.