What is porous tantalum rod implantation all about? For which patients does it work?

  Porous metal g-rods are a metal support similar to the structure of bone trabeculae introduced by Zimmer Corporation in the United States to support the weight-bearing area of osteonecrosis and prevent the necrotic area from collapsing quickly. Foreign literature reports that early clinical results are more satisfactory.  We used osteonecrosis lesion removal in patients with early ischemic necrosis of the femoral head (degree of necrosis: IIa – IIIc), then implanted allogeneic cancellous bone in the decompression area and compacted it with pressure, and then implanted metallic tantalum rods in the weight-bearing area along the decompression orifice. It can significantly increase the possibility of osteonecrosis repair. It is a minimally invasive method of treatment for early osteonecrosis. We apply the latest international navigation technology to decompression bone grafting and tantalum rod (allograft fibula) grafting, which can make the surgery more minimally invasive and more precise. We strive for the possibility of recovery from osteonecrosis with minimal surgical damage. The surgical damage is minimal, with bleeding of 30-100 ml. hospitalization time is 5-7 days, and early results are positive. Figure 1 Porous metal tantalum rod Figure 2 Microporous structure of metal tantalum rod Figure 3 Pre-operative X-ray of osteonecrosis patient with osteonecrosis IIb on the left side Figure 4 Left femoral head after decompression bone graft + metal tantalum rod transplantation