ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To summarize the experience and lessons of the using of antibiotic-loaded cement articulating spacer made by a self-made mold system for the treatment of the infected hip replacement, and to evaluate its efficiency and role in the two-stage revision of infected total hip arthroplasty (THA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The patients with infected THA treated with two-stage revision protocol from August 2005 to December 2009 were reviewed. All of the 127 patients were debridement thoroughly and followed by implantation of an antibiotic-loaded cement articulated spacer made by a self-made mold system; Two-stage revisions were not followed until the infection were controlled. Among of them, 106 patients, 107 hips were gotten fully followed up. Evaluations were made for the efficiency of infection control, convenience of making, implanting and removing of the spacers, occurrence of complications, the deal of the special circumstances, the function and satisfaction of the patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The 107 hips were gotten an average of 34.3 months' (3 - 55 months) follow-up. The infection control rate was 96.3% after the first-stage surgery, the infection control rate was 94.4% at last follow-up after two-stage revisions. The breakage rate of the spacer was 4.7%, dislocation rate was 2.8%, removal of the spacers with difficulty were seen in 15 patients (14.0%). The satisfactory rate of the patients was 93.5%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Antibiotic-loaded cement articulating spacer made by a self-made mold system is an effective methods for the two-stage revision of the infected hip replacement, characterized by simple, good reproducible, high rates of infection control, better joint function after surgeries, high rate of patients satisfaction and other advantages. And it can decrease the complications, such as the breakage, spacer dislocation of hip joint and difficulty in removal of spacer at the second stage revision. Using of metallic internal fixation or allograft bone combined with spacer does not affect the results of infection controlling.</p>