Cement removal in revision hip arthroplasty. Experience with bone cement added to the cavity in 20 cases

A new technique for cement removal is presented where bone cement is added to the cavity after removal of a femoral component. The old and new segments of cement are then removed together by using a threaded extractor. In 16 of 20 patients, the method was successful; the entire cement mass was extracted in 35 (25-50) min without complications or bone loss. In 4 of the patients, the technique had to be combined with traditional methods for cement removal.