Acute Osteomyelitis and Septic Arthritis in Children: a Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews
European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences 2019; 23(2 Suppl.): 145-158 Acute osteomyelitis and septic arthritis in children: a systematic review of systematic reviews A. GIGANTE1, V. COPPA2, M. MARINELLI3, N. GIAMPAOLINI3, D. FALCIONI3, N. SPECCHIA3 1Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy 2Clinical Orthopaedics, Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, School of Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy 3Clinic of Adult and Paediatric Orthopaedics, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Ancona, Italy Abstract. – OBJECTIVE: Septic arthritis and Osteomyelitis (OM) is an inflammation of osteomyelitis are rare in children, but they are bone, usually due to infection with bacteria or difficult to treat and are associated with a high other micro-organisms (e.g., fungi), that is asso- rate of sequelae. This paper addresses the main ciated with bone destruction. Septic arthritis (SA) clinical issues related to septic arthritis and os- teomyelitis by means of a systematic review of is an infection of the synovial space that involves systematic reviews. the synovial membrane, the joint space, and joint 2 MATERIALS AND METHODS: The major elec- structures . tronic databases were searched for systematic SA and OM are commonly divided into three reviews/meta-analyses septic arthritis and os- types based on aetiology: haematogenous, sec- teomyelitis. The papers that fulfilled the inclu- ondary to contiguous infection, and secondary sion/exclusion criteria were selected. to direct inoculation. The distinctive anatomical RESULTS: There were four systematic re- views on septic arthritis and four on osteomy- characteristics of younger children, especial- elitis. Independent assessment of their meth- ly the presence of vessels between metaphysis odological quality by two reviewers using and epiphysis and of intracapsular metaphyses, AMSTAR 2 indicated that its criteria were not involve that a bone infection may lead to SA sec- consistently followed.
[Show full text]