Clinical effectiveness of hemipelvic reconstruction using computer-aided custom-made prostheses after resection of malignant pelvic tumors

This is a retrospective analysis of 16 patients with primary malignant pelvic tumors who underwent wide resection of the hemipelvis and consequent reconstruction between 2003 and 2007. Mean patient age was 27 years, whereas median follow-up was 36 months (range, 23-62 months). Hemipelvic prostheses were individually designed for each patient based on preoperative computed tomographic scans and consequent surgical modeling. The 3-year prosthesis survival rate was 69%. There were 3 cases of local recurrence (19%), and 4 patients died because of pulmonary metastases. The mean follow-up Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional score was 72%. In conclusion, computer-aided custom-made hemipelvic prosthesis can be applied to quickly and effectively restore the bone defect after internal hemipelvectomy for treatment of pelvic tumors.