Temporary Articulating Methylmethacrylate Antibiotic Spacer (TAMMAS) : A New Method of Intraoperative Manufacturing of a Custom Articulating Spacer

• Published in: Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume 2001-01, Vol.83 (2_suppl_2 Suppl 2), p.S92-97
• Main Authors: Goldstein, Wayne M, Kopplin, Matthew, Wall, Robin, Berland, Kimberly
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - administration & dosage; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee - methods; Biological and medical sciences; Drug Delivery Systems; Humans; Intraoperative Period; Knee Prosthesis - adverse effects; Medical sciences; Methylmethacrylate; Prosthesis Failure; Prosthesis-Related Infections - drug therapy; Reoperation; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Technology. Biomaterials. Equipments
• ISSN: 0021-9355; 1535-1386
• DOI: 10.2106/00004623-200100022-00006

A temporary articulating antibiotic-impregnated cement spacer for use during the first stage of a two-stage revision of a total knee replacement that had failed because of infection was developed by one of us (W.M.G.). It is simply a knee prosthesis made of methylmethacrylate and antibiotics that is manufactured intraoperatively with use of instruments, medications, and supplies that are already available at most hospitals. This construct allows for motion of the knee during treatment of the infection, thereby reducing the risk of loss of motion after subsequent revision. The technique has been successfully utilized in five patients since 1999 and has now become our standard treatment method.