iCAT 2026 PLENARY SPEAKERS

We have also invited certain notable guests to share their expertise in the field of 3D printing and its future applications.

Andrej Moličnik

University Medical Centre, Department of Orthopaedics, Maribor

Custom 3D-Printed Acebular Reconstruction After 30-Year High Hip Center Failure With Sacral Migraton

Patient-specific, additively manufactured acetabular implants are increasingly used for massive acetabular bone loss and pelvic discontinuity. Systematic reviews report that custom components are retained in ~94% of cases at a mean 7-year follow-up, and short- to early mid-term reviews report ~97.7% survivorship at ~23 months; dislocation and periprosthetic joint infection remain the dominant causes of re-revision, while sciatic nerve palsy is reported in approximately 2% of cases. Case: A female patient with severe developmental dysplasia underwent primary total hip arthroplasty 30 years earlier using a high hip centre reconstruction. She presented with progressive hip pain, progresive aditional limb shortening, and radiographic loosening with cranial migration of the acetabular component, with the proximal tip adjacent to the sacral spinal canal, creating an irregular periacetabular bone defect.

Intervention: CT-based three-dimensional planning was used to design a personalised porous titanium acetabular reconstruction implant to maximise host-bone contact, restore the hip centre, and define safe fixation trajectories. Revision total hip arthroplasty was performed with controlled reduction and carefully limited limb-length correction to respect neural tolerance, recognising that nerve injury risk increases with larger lengthening and in revision settings. Results: Near anatomical hip-centre restoration and limb-length correction were achieved without postoperative neurological deficit. Early follow-up demonstrated substantial pain relief and functional improvement with radiographic implant stability and no early mechanical complications. Late failure of high hip centre dysplasia arthroplasty can culminate in extreme migration and atypical pelvic bone loss. Patient-specific 3D‑printed acetabular reconstruction can enable secure fixation and biomechanical restoration while mitigating neurovascular risk in carefully selected complex revisions.

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