Background: Osteomyelitis is a challenge for orthopaedic surgeons. There is a lack of scientific evidence to guide treatment. The purpose of this study was to report the clinical outcome of unplanned retention of antibiotic-impregnated cement spacer (ACS) in the management of osteomyelitis. Methods: Eight patients (7 with tibial infections and 1 with a calcaneal infection) with osteomyelitis received radical debridement and insertion of an ACS into the bone defect as the definitive management. The mean follow-up period was 2 years (6 months to 4 years). All of these patients had a cement spacer in place. Results: No patient exhibited radiographic evidence of excessive bone loss. The patients reported no or occasional mild pain and exhibited complete weight-bearing abilities, with the exception of one patient who required a crutch because of a spinal cord injury. Signs of recurrence of the osteomyelitis were not noted in any of the patients, and no fractures occurred at last follow-up. Conclusion: Our study suggests that a proportion of patients with unplanned retention of ACS appear to function well without necessarily requiring further surgical intervention.
CITATION STYLE
Qiu, X. S., Zheng, X., Shi, H. F., Zhu, Y. C., Guo, X., Mao, H. J., … Chen, Y. X. (2015). Antibiotic-impregnated cement spacer as definitive management for osteomyelitis. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-015-0704-1
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