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Case Reports: Tantalum Debris Dispersion During Revision of a Tibial Component for TKA

  • Case Report
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Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research

Abstract

Porous tantalum nonmodular tibial components for TKA were introduced in 1999. We revised three well-fixed tantalum tibial trays. For removal, we used osteotomes and revision oscillating saw blades. Removal of the components was laborious and resulted in generation of abundant tantalum debris that seeded the periarticular soft tissues despite meticulous protection with gauze. The retained metallic debris that is visible on postoperative radiographs has the potential for generation of third-body wear. We alert the orthopaedic community about this phenomenon and recommend minimizing the use of motorized revision instruments for removal of trabecular metal implants.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain

    Jose Miguel Sanchez Marquez MD

  2. Hospital Español de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Nicolas Del Sel MD

  3. Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 East 70th Street, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Alejandro Leali MD & Alejandro González Della Valle MD

Authors
  1. Jose Miguel Sanchez Marquez MD
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  2. Nicolas Del Sel MD
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  3. Alejandro Leali MD
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  4. Alejandro González Della Valle MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alejandro González Della Valle MD.

Additional information

Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.

Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved or waived approval for the human protocol for this investigation and that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research.

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Sanchez Marquez, J.M., Del Sel, N., Leali, A. et al. Case Reports: Tantalum Debris Dispersion During Revision of a Tibial Component for TKA. Clin Orthop Relat Res 467, 1107–1110 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0586-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0586-8

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