How to make a custom cement spacer for revision shoulder arthroplasty

Over the years, shoulder arthroplasty has experienced significant growth in its frequency. However, this increase has also been accompanied by a higher incidence of complications associated with this procedure, and consequently, the number of revision shoulder arthroplasty surgeries has increased. Multiple complications have been described that can occur after shoulder arthroplasty surgery. These complications include infection and periprosthetic fractures, with an incidence of 1.1% to 3.8% and 0.9% to 3.5%, respectively. In revision shoulder replacement surgery, the temporary use of bone cement spacers with antibiotics is sometimes necessary, as in the case of staged management of infections and periprosthetic fractures, or sometimes even as definitive treatment. With this in mind, we have developed an easy and reproducible technique for creating custom-made spacers for the treatment of infections and infected periprosthetic fractures in revision shoulder arthroplasty surgery that require a longer spacer stem length.