Bone grafts strengthen over two years in hip revision surgery
A small study tracking patients who received hip implants reinforced with large bone grafts found the grafts solidified and stabilized the implants without excess movement over 24 months. The finding could ease surgeon concerns about using larger grafts to repair severe bone damage, potentially expanding the pool of candidates eligible for less invasive revision surgery.
Originaltitel: Evaluating fixation and bone graft integration at two years post-surgery in uncemented acetabular revisions with large amounts of allograft bone
Aims Impaction bone grafting of the acetabulum to treat segmental and cavitary defects has been shown to be successful for uncemented acetabular revisions. Concerns remain about graft integration and implant stability when severe bone defects require large amounts of bone graft. This study evaluates bone graft density and implant migration in patients undergoing uncemented acetabular revision with screw fixation and impaction bone grafting using large bone graft volumes. Methods In this exploratory study, nine patients undergoing acetabular revision surgery were evaluated to assess bone graft volume, bone mineral density (BMD), and implant migration using dual-energy CT and CT-based micromotion analysis, performed directly postoperatively and at 6, 12, and 24 months of follow-up. Results The mean volume of bone graft used was 64.0 cm 3 (SD 36.9) and the BMD in the graft increased from a mean of 317 mg/cm 3 (SD 96.4) postoperatively to 466 mg/cm 3 (SD 104.2) at 24 months (p = 0.002), while iliac BMD changed from 96 mg/cm 3 to 111 mg/cm 3 (p = 0.258). The median total translation at 24 months was 1.6 mm (IQR 0.82 to 2.7). Cups with graft volumes ≥ 50 cm³ exhibited slightly larger proximal translation than those with < 50 cm 3 , with median 1.5 mm (IQR 1.4 to 1.6) compared with 0.6 mm (IQR 0.30 to 1.2). Conclusion Uncemented acetabular revisions using large allograft volumes exhibit a migration pattern that is consistent with other revision techniques. Despite the large amount of bone graft used, bone density increases over time. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2026;7(2):266–274.