eMedicine Specialties > Radiology > Musculoskeletal

Septic Arthritis: Follow-up

Author: Larry Holder, MD, Residency Director, Department of Radiology, Virginia Mason Medical Center
Coauthor(s): Matthew Studley, MD, MPH, Consulting Staff, Department of Radiology, Virginia Mason Medical Center
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Mar 22, 2007

Intervention

Antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment. Antibiotic therapy should depend on Gram stain results and clinical suspicion. The age of the patient and presence of a prosthetic joint are also important considerations. Antibiotic therapy has greatly reduced the morbidity and mortality of the disease.

Prompt treatment usually limits long-term damage. Patients who are symptomatic for more than 7 days before the disease is diagnosis tend to have more-severe joint damage. S aureus and gram-negative bacilli tend to be more destructive organisms. Symptoms of gonococcal infection should improve dramatically within 3 days and resolve completely within 10 days of the initiation of therapy. Prolonged therapy may be needed for tuberculous infections.

The rapid accumulation of fluid within the affected joint may require daily needle aspiration. Open drainage or arthroscopy are necessary in severe cases and often used for hip infections in children.

 


More on Septic Arthritis

Overview: Septic Arthritis
Imaging: Septic Arthritis
Follow-up: Septic Arthritis
Multimedia: Septic Arthritis
References
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References

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Further Reading

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Keywords

infectious arthritis, pyogenic arthritis, pyogenic joint infections, nonpyogenic arthritis, non-pyogenic arthritis, nonpyogenic joint infections, granulomatous joint infections, bacterial arthritis, tuberculous arthritis

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Larry Holder, MD, Residency Director, Department of Radiology, Virginia Mason Medical Center
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Matthew Studley, MD, MPH, Consulting Staff, Department of Radiology, Virginia Mason Medical Center
Matthew Studley, MD, MPH is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Radiology
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Giuseppe Guglielmi, MD, Associate Professor of Radiology, Department of Radiology, Scientific Institute Hospital
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Bernard D Coombs, MB, ChB, PhD, Consulting Staff, Department of Specialist Rehabilitation Services, Hutt Valley District Health Board, New Zealand
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

William R Reinus, MD, MBA, FACR, Professor of Radiology, Temple University; Chief of Musculoskeletal and Trauma Radiology, Vice Chair, Department of Radiology, Temple University Hospital
William R Reinus, MD, MBA, FACR is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physician Executives, American College of Radiology, American Roentgen Ray Society, Missouri State Medical Association, and Radiological Society of North America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Robert M Krasny, MD, Consulting Staff, Department of Radiology, The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute
Robert M Krasny, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Roentgen Ray Society and Radiological Society of North America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Felix S Chew, MD, EdM, MBA, Professor, Department of Radiology, Section Head of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Vice Chairman for Radiology Informatics, University of Washington
Felix S Chew, MD, EdM, MBA is a member of the following medical societies: American Roentgen Ray Society, Association of University Radiologists, and Radiological Society of North America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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