Logo of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (Br)
Quick search:        
          Advanced Search
Guest Access | Sign In
Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - British Volume, Vol 91-B, Issue 9, 1127-1133.
doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.91B9.22530  
Copyright © 2009 by British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow My Folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kang, S.-N.
Right arrow Articles by Ramachandran, M.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kang, S.-N.
Right arrow Articles by Ramachandran, M.

The management of septic arthritis in children

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LITERATURE

S.-N. Kang, MRCS, Specialist Registrar in Orthopaedics and Trauma1; T. Sanghera, MSc, Medical Student2; J. Mangwani, MRCS, Specialist Registrar in Orthopaedics and Trauma1; J. M. H. Paterson, FRCS, Consultant Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeon1; and M. Ramachandran, FRCS(Orth), Consultant Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeon1

1 Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, The Royal London Hospitals, Barts and The London NHS Trust, Whitechapel Road, Whitechapel, London E1 1BB, UK.
2 University of Nottingham Medical School, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.

Correspondence should be sent to Mr M. Ramachandran; e-mail: manoj.ramachandran{at}bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

We performed a systematic review of the optimal management of septic arthritis in children as recommended in the current English literature using MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library and reference lists of retrieved articles without date restrictions up to 31 January 2009. From 2236 citations, 227 relevant full-text articles were screened in detail; 154 papers fulfilled the inclusion criteria, from which conclusions were drawn on the management of infected joints in children.

Our review showed that no single investigation, including joint aspiration, is sufficiently reliable to diagnose conclusively joint infection. The roles of aspiration, arthrotomy and arthroscopy in treatment are not clear cut, and the ideal duration of antibiotic therapy is not yet fully defined. These issues are discussed. Further large-scale, multi-centre studies are needed to delineate the optimal management of paediatric septic arthritis.






(c) British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery All Rights Reserved
Registered charity no: 209299     Print ISSN: 0301-620X
Hip, Knee, Trauma, Upper limb, Foot & Ankle, Paediatrics, Oncology, Spine, Arthroplasty, General