Acetabular revision with impacted freeze-dried cancellous bone chips and a cemented cup: a report of 7 cases at 5 to 9 years' follow-up

The long-term results of bone impaction grafting with fresh-frozen femoral head allografts and a cemented cup are favorable. Because of intermittent shortage of fresh-frozen femoral heads at our local bone bank, we used processed freeze-dried bone in 7 acetabular revisions operated between 1989 and 1994. All 7 consecutive patients were followed annually. At final review (March 2000), 1 patient had died after 8.5 years of follow-up of a cause not related to the surgery. In 1 hip, a rerevision was performed for septic loosening 5 years after the previous septic loosening. Radiographically the freeze-dried allografts seemed to incorporate in all cases but the reinfected one; progressive radiolucent lines were not seen, although 1 case had a stable line in 1 zone. The overall survival rate for the 7 acetabular reconstructions at an average follow-up of 7 years (range, 5-9 years) was 86%. At midterm follow-up, there was no aseptic loosening. In this limited case report, the results at midterm for freeze-dried allograft bone chips in acetabular reconstructions are acceptable.