PURPOSE To study the changing epidemiological pattern of micro-organisms as an aetiology of septic arthritis, and to correlate the pattern with the outcome of neonatal septic arthritis, in terms of joint function and morphology. METHODS 15 consecutive cases of neonatal septic arthritis of hip admitted between 1999 and 2002 were studied. Diagnosis of septic arthritis was made on the basis of M...

Objective Lyme arthritis is an increasingly recognized clinical entity that often prompts orthopaedic evaluation in pediatric patients. While Lyme arthritis is most common in the knee, the clinical presentation of Lyme arthritis of the hip can be similar to both acute bacterial septic arthritis and transient synovitis. Accurately distinguishing these clinical entities is important since the def...

Septic arthritis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa is uncommon in the immunocompetent population, despite its occurrence in younger patients with open injuries and in intravenous drug abusers. Here we report a case of septic arthritis caused by P. aeruginosa. This case is unique for several reasons. First, it is a case of septic arthritis in a pregnant woman with no traditional risk factors repo...

BACKGROUND Differentiation between septic arthritis and transient synovitis of the hip in children can be difficult. Kocher et al. recently developed a clinical prediction algorithm for septic arthritis based on four clinical variables: history of fever, non-weight-bearing, an erythrocyte sedimentation rate of >or=40 mm/hr, and a serum white blood-cell count of >12000/mm(3) (>12.0 x 10(9)/L). T...

INTRODUCTION Crystal-induced arthritis of the lateral atlantoaxial joint may be intimately involved in acute neck pain in the elderly. Patients typically have a good prognosis, and symptoms usually subside within a few weeks. On the other hand, septic arthritis of the lateral atlantoaxial joint requires early diagnosis and antibiotic treatment. Diagnostic delay is a risk factor for an unfavorab...

Despite intensive study of acute septic arthritis in infancy and childhood, poor outcomes continue to occur. Failures are often due to delayed diagnosis and inadequate therapy, but can be due to factors beyond physicians' control such as associated osteomyelitis and occurrence during infancy. Recent advances in the understanding and management of septic arthritis include: (1) demonstration of b...

BACKGROUND Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) is the primary therapy against autoinflammatory syndromes with robust efficacy in reducing systemic inflammation and associated organ injury. However, patients receiving IL-1Ra might be at increased risk of acquiring serious infections. AIMS To study whether IL-1Ra treatment deteriorates Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) septic arthritis a...