Purpose: To discuss the indications and therapeutic outcomes of synovectomy, debridement, and continuous irrigation for the treatment of pyogenic arthritis caused by intra-articular injection used in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.
Methods: Records of 41 patients with infectious arthritis of the knee who presented to our hospital from 1981 were reviewed. 11 of them had a history of intra-articular injection. They underwent synovectomy, debridement, and continuous irrigation using a Salem double-lumen tube after confirmation that one side of the femorotibial joint cartilage was basically healthy.
Results: The infection was successfully treated in 9 of the 11 patients. Of these 9 patients, one died after 3 years and 2 underwent total knee arthroplasty after 3 and 8 years. The remaining 6 patients were followed up for 5 to 15 years. Five of them had deteriorating arthropathy, and the condition was unchanged in the others. Two of these 6 patients had pain while walking, and their Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores were 70. The remaining 4 had good knee function and reduction of pain, with a mean Japanese Orthopaedic Association score of 91 and a mean range of motion of 131 degrees.
Conclusion: Arthrodesis is frequently considered the treatment for osteoarthritis if the joint destruction has affected the weight-bearing surface. However, in our experience, even when inflammatory granulation develops in the cartilage surface of one side of the femorotibial joint, good results can still be obtained by synovectomy, debridement, and continuous irrigation. After the pyogenic arthritis has subsided, if osteoarthritis has advanced and bowleg has exacerbated, further treatment options are available, such as tibial resection and even joint replacement. Continuous irrigation should be considered a feasible treatment option for pyogenic arthritis.