Advertisement for orthosearch.org.uk
Results 1 - 2 of 2
Results per page:
The Bone & Joint Journal
Vol. 96-B, Issue 6 | Pages 845 - 850
1 Jun 2014
Romanò CL Logoluso N Meani E Romanò D De Vecchi E Vassena C Drago L

The treatment of chronic osteomyelitis often includes surgical debridement and filling the resultant void with antibiotic-loaded polymethylmethacrylate cement, bone grafts or bone substitutes. Recently, the use of bioactive glass to treat bone defects in infections has been reported in a limited series of patients. However, no direct comparison between this biomaterial and antibiotic-loaded bone substitute has been performed.

In this retrospective study, we compared the safety and efficacy of surgical debridement and local application of the bioactive glass S53P4 in a series of 27 patients affected by chronic osteomyelitis of the long bones (Group A) with two other series, treated respectively with an antibiotic-loaded hydroxyapatite and calcium sulphate compound (Group B; n = 27) or a mixture of tricalcium phosphate and an antibiotic-loaded demineralised bone matrix (Group C; n = 22). Systemic antibiotics were also used in all groups.

After comparable periods of follow-up, the control of infection was similar in the three groups. In particular, 25 out of 27 (92.6%) patients of Group A, 24 out of 27 (88.9%) in Group B and 19 out of 22 (86.3%) in Group C showed no infection recurrence at means of 21.8 (12 to 36), 22.1 (12 to 36) and 21.5 (12 to 36) months follow-up, respectively, while Group A showed a reduced wound complication rate.

Our results show that patients treated with a bioactive glass without local antibiotics achieved similar eradication of infection and less drainage than those treated with two different antibiotic-loaded calcium-based bone substitutes.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2014; 96-B:845–50.


The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery British Volume
Vol. 91-B, Issue 8 | Pages 1106 - 1109
1 Aug 2009
Branstetter JG Jackson SR Haggard WO Richelsoph KC Wenke JC

We used a goat model of a contaminated musculoskeletal defect to determine the effectiveness of rapidly-resorbing calcium-sulphate pellets containing amikacin to reduce the local bacterial count. Our findings showed that this treatment eradicated the bacteria quickly, performed as well as standard polymethylmethacrylate mixed with an antibiotic and had many advantages over the latter. The pellets were prepared before surgery and absorbed completely. They released all of the antibiotic and did not require a subsequent operation for their removal. Our study indicated that locally administered antibiotics reduced bacteria within the wound rapidly. This method of treatment may have an important role in decreasing the rate of infection in contaminated wounds.