RESEARCH ARTICLE
Use of Cemented Spacer with a Handmade Stem to Treat Acute Periprosthetic Tibial Fracture Infection: A Case Report
LluÍs Font-Vizcarra*, 1, Oscar Izquierdo1, Laura GarcÍa-NuÑo1, Araceli GonzÁlez2, VicenÇ Diaz-Brito3, Juan Castellanos1
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2014Volume: 8
First Page: 24
Last Page: 26
Publisher ID: TOORTHJ-8-24
DOI: 10.2174/1874325001408010024
Article History:
Received Date: 8/10/2013Revision Received Date: 3/12/2013
Acceptance Date: 7/1/2014
Electronic publication date: 24/1/2014
Collection year: 2014

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/) which permits unrestrictive use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
We report an 85-year-old woman with dementia and dependent for normal life activities who was admitted due to a left periprosthetic tibial fracture. The tibial component was replaced by one with a long stem and she was discharged. Four weeks after the intervention the patient was re-admitted due to an acute prosthetic joint infection. All the components were removed and a bone-cement spacer with a handmade stem with a metal core was implanted. Radiological signs of fracture consolidation were observed after 3 months of follow-up. Due to the previous health status of the patient, it was decided to keep the spacer as a definitive treatment. After 24 months, the patient was able to sit without pain and to stand up with help using a knee brace. There were no radiological or clinical signs of infection.