Breaking the Hip Revision Cycle: aMace’s 2,000th Case

One of Dr. Van Overschelde’s recent hip revisions marked a significant milestone for personalized orthopaedics — his was the 2,000^th case to use the aMace implant. However, it wasn’t an easy one; the 77-year-old patient had a complex medical history.

A few years ago, she suffered a periprosthetic fracture of the femur caused by polyethylene wear. Dr. Van Overschelde performed revision surgery with a REEF prosthesis on the femoral side and an acetabular revision with a revision cup and augment.

Then, six months ago, the patient began experiencing ongoing groin pain and difficulty walking after a fall. A CT scan revealed another periprosthetic acetabular fracture with a complete dissociation of the pelvis. The fracture was severe enough that natural healing was, unfortunately, not occurring.

Beyond these complications, the patient also had severe osteoporosis and a history of pseudo-tumor development, resulting in significant bone destruction. It was no straightforward case for Dr. Van Overschelde, and he had to navigate many complexities to restore function and minimize the risk of future medical interventions.

The implant choice for this case was clear — it’s the one Dr. Van Overschelde has used for ten years, consistently delivering dependable results with no instances of re-revision surgery or complications. Personalized aMace acetabular implants have given  “very favorable outcomes” in his decade of experience and continue to be his go-to.

The aMace implant helps surgeons break the revision cycle. It is designed for minimal risk of dislocation, is based on unique 3D pelvis analyses to quantify bone loss and available bone stock, and makes long-term fixation possible with crossed screw trajectories and a defect-filling porous augment.

Naturally, complex cases present obstacles, but Dr. Van Overschelde emphasizes the importance of thorough preparation and close collaboration with the clinical engineers: “Smooth communication and accurate planning from Materialise’s engineers give me confidence in the precision of the implant fit and screw planning. The SurgiCase online platform also gives us a very detailed overview, which helps us resolve any potential issues before entering the OR.”

For this particular case, the team included an important modification to the implant design based on these insights: a polished surface on the anterior side to avoid irritating the surrounding soft tissue.

Dr. Van Overschelde remarks, “The work from Materialise is always very well prepared. Their efforts consistently contribute to the successful outcomes of my aMace cases.”

This comprehensive preparation was a major contributor to Dr. Van Overschelde executing the surgery successfully. He immediately felt very confident in the result: “I expected the reconstruction to be very stable, allowing the patient to fully bear weight and regain mobility immediately."

“At 7 am the day after the surgery, the patient was already standing and washing up at the sink. It’s a remarkable testament to the immediate impact of the implant and the procedure.”

For patients who previously struggled with pain, immobility, and difficulty bearing weight, total hip revision surgery with personalized implants like aMace can significantly improve their quality of life.

Reflecting on his decade of experience with aMace, Dr. Van Overschelde noted, “Over the years, we have developed a technique that makes the implantation of the aMace implant really straightforward, time and time again, with no surprises.”

The success of this milestone case highlights the powerful impact of personalized approaches in hip arthroplasty. By supporting surgeons in addressing the most complex challenges, aMace will continue to help improve patient outcomes in the next 2,000 cases and beyond.