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World J Orthop. Feb 18, 2022; 13(2): 122-130
Published online Feb 18, 2022. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v13.i2.122
Developments in diagnosis and treatment of paediatric septic arthritis
Cornelia M Donders, Anne J Spaans, Herbert van Wering, Christiaan JA van Bergen
Cornelia M Donders, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Meander Medical Centre, Amersfoort 3813 TZ, Netherlands
Anne J Spaans, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sint Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen 6574 NA, Netherlands
Herbert van Wering, Department of Paediatrics, Amphia Hospital, Breda 4818 CK, Netherlands
Christiaan JA van Bergen, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Amphia Hospital, Breda 4818 CK, Netherlands
Author contributions: Donders CM contributed to the conceptualization; study-selection; data extraction; data analysis; writing of the manuscript; Spaans AJ and van Wering H critically revised the manuscript; van Bergen CJ contributed to the conceptualization; supervision; writing of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interests for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Cornelia M Donders, MD, MSc, Academic Research, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Meander Medical Centre, Maatweg 3, Amersfoort 3813 TZ, Netherlands. lilian.donders@gmail.com
Received: February 26, 2021
Peer-review started: February 26, 2021
First decision: July 28, 2021
Revised: August 8, 2021
Accepted: January 20, 2022
Article in press: January 20, 2022
Published online: February 18, 2022
Core Tip

Core Tip: This article provides an up-to-date evidence-based review on the diagnosis and treatment of paediatric septic arthritis. Acute septic arthritis in children is an orthopaedic emergency. It can be a diagnostic challenge, especially in young children. Accurate history, physical exam, laboratory findings and imaging can contribute to the diagnosis of septic arthritis. The following step of joint aspiration with an appropriate treatment must be made in a short time period. Clinical predicting tools and optimal drainage techniques for paediatric septic arthritis were evaluated in recent systematic reviews. After the drainage procedure it is important to monitor the clinical and laboratory outcomes.