Study design: Retrospective study reporting characteristics and management of septic arthritis of the hip due to pressure sores in spinal cord-injured patients.
Objectives: To describe clinical and biological data of septic arthritis of the hip and its treating management.
Setting: The database of the regional SCI referral center, Nantes, France.
Methods: We retrospectively collected data from 33 cases of septic arthritis of the hip in the medical files of 26 patients.
Results: We analyzed 33 cases of septic arthritis of the hip treated in one French referent center for spinal cord-injured patients from January 1988 to December 2009. Most patients had a thoracic complete paraplegia and nearly two-third (17 out of 26) had no systematic follow-up. In 25 out of 33 cases, the septic arthritis of the hip was due to a trochanteric pressure sore. The causal pressure sore was most frequently associated with a persistent drainage. The standard radiological examination led to the diagnosis in 30 cases and, in 7 questionable cases, magnetic resonance imaging was more contributory. Surgery always consisted of a wide carcinological-like excision and of a subtrochanteric proximal femoral resection including both greater and lesser trochanters. A musculocutaneous flap was realized for all cases and the choice of the muscle depended on the localization of the causal pressure sore but also of the remaining choices, as most of the patients had already undergone a prior surgery. An antibiotic treatment was adapted to multiple samples during surgery.
Conclusion: We do advocate for a one-stage procedure including a subtrochanteric proximal femoral resection and a musculocutaneous flap.