title: The use of spacers (static and mobile) in infection knee arthroplasty.
abstract: Revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the treatment of choice in patients with periprosthetic joint infection. It may be performed in either a single stage or two stages. In the latter option, between stages, an antibiotic-loaded spacer may be used to maintain a certain amount of joint stability and mobility after the infected implant is removed, adding an intra-articular concentration of antibiotics. There are two types of antibiotic-loaded cement spacers: static and dynamic. Static spacers basically create a temporary arthrodesis with antibiotic-loaded cement and usually are handmade within the surgical field. Dynamic spacers can be created intraoperatively by using different tools or may be prepackaged by the manufacturer; they allow range of motion between stages. In this article, the authors review the indications, surgical techniques, and results for static and dynamic spacers in two-stage revision TKA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osp. Mauriziano, Largo Turati, 62, Torino, 10100, Italy. lucamazzucchelli@hotmail.it.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mazzucchelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osp. Mauriziano, Largo Turati, 62, Torino, 10100, Italy. federica.rosso@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rosso
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osp. Mauriziano, Largo Turati, 62, Torino, 10100, Italy. antonio.marmotti@inwind.it.
authors.forename: Antongiulio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marmotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osp. Mauriziano, Largo Turati, 62, Torino, 10100, Italy. davidebonasia@virgilio.it.
authors.forename: Davide Edoardo
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Bonasia
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osp. Mauriziano, Largo Turati, 62, Torino, 10100, Italy. matteo.bruzzone@fastwebnet.it.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bruzzone
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osp. Mauriziano, Largo Turati, 62, Torino, 10100, Italy. rossir@fastwebnet.it.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rossi
keywords: Cement; Infection; Revision total knee arthroplasty; Spacer; Treatment