Yang FS, et al. - Researchers sought for factors that conferred risk for mechanical failure of cement spacers. Further, they investigated how two-stage exchange arthroplasty for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) affects hip function. Among 31 patients (19 males and 12 females) with hip PJIs underwent resection arthroplasty and implantation of cement spacers, 14 patients (14/31 = 45%) presented with at least one spacer-related complication within the interim period suggesting a high complication rate for articulating PMMA spacers during the interim period of two-stage revision total hip arthroplasty. Mechanical complications were observed primarily in correlation with young age and chronic infection. Before reimplantation, patients with spacer complications showed a lower median Harris hip score in comparison to those without spacer complications. After reimplantation, a similar median the Harris hip score was evident in the two groups. The spacer-complication group and the non-spacer-complication group had the 2-year treatment success rate of 84.6% and 87.5%, respectively. They recommend surgeons to advise the patients at high risk of spacer-related mechanical complications accordingly.