• The Journal of Korean Orthopaedic Ultrasound Society
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.112-117
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• 2012

Septic arthritis of the elbow is a rare, but serious disorder in neonates. However, neonates often present with few systemic signs other than irritability or poor feeding. When the clinical findings are minimal or absent, joint aspiration gives us helpful information in making a diagnosis. Although many clinicians rely on its result, we experienced a case of early clotted joint effusion, which resulted negative joint aspiration in a neonate with septic elbow arthritis. Ultrasonography helped us to make an early decision to perform surgical intervention as showing different echogenicity of intracapsular portion from generally presented in septic effusion. Presenting case shows that ultrasonography can be an excellent second step examination of neonatal elbow presenting atypical clinical findings of septic arthritis.

• Journal of the Korean Arthroscopy Society
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.138-141
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• 1999

Purpose : This study was to evaluate the effectiveness of arthroscopic management for septic elbows. Materials and Methods : The subjects were 7 patients ranged in age from 6 to 32 years. All patients were diagnosed as having septic arthritis of the elbow after arthrocentesis. Emergency arthroscopic lavage, debridement, and selective synovectomy for infective and necrotic tissue were performed. All patients had a follow-up period of more than 12 months by checking leukocyte count, ESR, CRP and range of motion. Results : For children, we found a return to normal of laboratory tests for infection after an average of 8.4 days while for adults, it required 12.3 days. After 12 months all patients showed normal elbow function as well as normal blood tests. Conclusion : We found arthroscopic management for septic arthritis of the elbows made it possible to visualize the pathologic findings directly and protect further articular damage. In conclusion, arthroscopic management is one of the efficient methods for controlling the joint infection.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2011

Purpose : This study was performed for the purpose of finding causative organisms and clinical features of septic arthritis or acute osteomyelitis in children. Methods : The study involved a retrospective review of the medical records of 63 microbiologically confirmed cases of acute pyogenic arthritis and osteomyelitis. All of the cases were brought about by community-associated infections and managed at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital or Seoul National University Bundang Hospital from June 2003 to July 2009. Results : The median age of all cases was 60 months and there were 35 males and 28 females. Major involved joints included the hip joint (15 cases), knee joint (7 cases), shoulder joint (4 cases), and elbow joint (4 cases). Also, major involved bones included the femur (20 cases), tibia (13 cases), humerus (7 cases), and radius (7 cases). Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly identified causative organism, accounting for 49 cases (77.8%). Of the 49 isolates of S. aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) accounted for 8 cases (16.3%). Group B streptococcus spp. (GBS) and Salmonella spp. accounted for 3 cases, respectively. Nafcillin or cefazolin was often prescribed as an initial empirical antibiotic. There were 9 cases that were managed by a regimen that included vancomycin as the first choice. Fifty four cases (85.7%) recovered without any complications. Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA), responsible for 41 cases, caused chronic complications in 3 cases. Of 8 cases caused by MRSA, 1 case showed chronic complication. There were no fatal cases. Conclusion : S. aureus remains the most common organism causing acute pyogenic arthritis and osteomyelitis of childhood acquired in the community. The high prevalence of methicillin resistance among S. aureus should be considered carefully in the selection of initial empirical antibiotics.