A new power tool for removal of methylmethacrylate from the femur.

An air turbine drill will remove methylmethacrylate from the medullary canal of the proximal femur in cases of failed total hip replacement and from the distal femur in cases of failed long stem total knee replacement. This power tool is expensive, but the high cost is partially offset by multiple other uses: cutting burr holes in the skull, doing osteotomies, cutting bone grafts and making windows in the femur. The power of the instrument and effectiveness of the burrs make it important to have instruction and direct experience in its proper use prior to use in the operating room.