Septic Hip
Posted in Pediatrics on March 18, 2011 by m.khodeer
Child is febrile. Did you notice the leg swelling. What do you want to do now besides aspiration and culture?
Left
Right
Septic Hip
- Bacterial joint infection, most common pathogen is Staphylococcus aureus but Haemophilus influenzae and Group B streptococcus are also relatively common in toddlers
- Clinical – febrile, acute hip pain, limp, refusal to bear weight, may be recent history of mild trauma or illness
- Radiography – hip dislocation, echogenic joint effusion, soft tissue swelling, abcess, periarticular increased uptake on bone scan
- DDX: toxic synovitis, trauma, chronic synovial arthritis, Legg-Perthes
- Treatment – drainage and IV antibiotics
Joint effusion
Right hip dislocation with soft tissue swelling/calcification and metaphyseal defect in the proximal femur
CT scan shows abscess around the hip joint, with calcified debris
