Abstract
Introduction: The senior author undertakes single stage revision hip arthroplasty for cases with no preoperative evidence of infection based on history and examination, ESR and CRP results and negative results from selective aspirations. Despite this a large proportion of intra-operative samples are positive for infection. The purpose of our study is to look at the results of intra-operative histology and microbiology samples in these cases and to assess the subsequent incidence of infection.
Methods: Retrospective case study comprising of 230 single stage revision total hip arthroplasties carried out by a single surgeon over 5 year period (2003–2008). Intra-operatively tissue samples were taken from multiple sites and sent for both histology and microbiology. Microbiology results were reported at 24hrs, 48hrs, 7 days and 21 days and correlated with histology reports.
Results: From a total number of 230 patients, we had 98 left and 132 right hip revision arthroplasties. There were 95 men and 135 women with a mean age of 73 years (range 40–93). Intra-operative microbiology was negative in 108 patients (46.95%), of which 3 patients’ histology samples were consistent with infection. Of the 122 microbiology positive patients (53.04%), there were 8 histology samples consistent with infection. The most frequent growths were of Coagulase negative Staphylococcus (64 cases) and Propionibacterium (18 cases). 3 cases subsequently developed deep infection.
Discussion: This study highlights a significant discrepancy between intra-operative microbiology and intra-operative histology results. There is also a very high discrepancy between pre-operative assessment and intra-operative microbiological findings although the majority of cases subsequently did not show any clinical evidence of infection.
Correspondence should be addressed to BHS c/o BOA, at the Royal College of Surgeons, 35–43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3PE, England.
