Abstract :
Background: Acute pyogenic arthritis continues to be a major orthopaedic problem. The morbidity and
mortality of delayed treatment is very significant. Aims & Objectives: To study the aetiology, predisposing
factors and to evaluate the factors influencing outcomein the treatment of acute pyogenic arthritis. Methods:
Forty-five consecutive cases of acute pyogenic arthritis of various joints of the body presenting to RIMS
Hospital, Imphal were admitted and treated either operatively or non-operatively and the outcome of treatment
was evaluated using modified Rosenthal et alcriteria.The factors that influenced the outcome were identified
and analysed. Results: There were 60% excellent, 15% good, 10% fair and 15%poor results. The median
duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis and treatment in excellent group was seven days whereas it was 40
days in poor group. Superficial joints such as knee had better results than deep joints such as hip and
shoulder. Infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus produced satisfactory outcome in 78.26% whereas
those caused by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E.coli produced uniform poor results. Females had a less
satisfactory outcome when compared with males. 85% of cases in this study had a minimum of one
predisposing factor. Conclusion: Acute pyogenic arthritis continues to be a major health problem.It is a
commonly seen clinical entity in day-to-day practice. With prompt and vigorous treatment, the results are not
always unsatisfactory. The most important factor influencing final outcome was delay in diagnosis and
treatment. A high index of suspicion is necessary because prompt diagnosis followed by vigorous and
adequate treatment is the key to successful outcome.
Keyword :
Acute pyogenic arthritis, Factors influencing outcome, Pre-disposing factors.