30/09/2026
⚠️ Surgical images used in this post.
Revision knee surgery is rarely straightforward, but cases involving massive bone loss push that complexity to another level entirely.
This patient came to us with an infected failed knee replacement and significant bone loss of the proximal tibia. A standard revision implant wasn't going to cut it and a proximal tibia replacement is associated with high complication rates.
We designed a custom tibial prosthesis with the help of biomedical engineers from LRS, designed specifically to fit what bone remained and articulate with an off-the-shelf Zimmer Biomet femoral component.
But before we started reconstruction, we had to deal with infection.
The first stage involved removing the failed components, implanting spacers, and getting the infection under control. Only once that was done could we move to stage two - the custom reconstruction.
Cases like this are a reminder of how much planning goes into revision surgery before a patient even gets to theatre. The implant, the staging, the bone graft strategy - every decision compounds.
