Primary epiphyseal osteomyelitis caused by mycobacterium species in otherwise healthy toddlers.

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterial osteomyelitis involving only the epiphysis of a long bone is extremely rare, and its clinical and radiographic features remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to characterize mycobacterial epiphyseal osteomyelitis and to identify differences between its features and those reported for epiphyseal osteomyelitis caused by bacteria or unidentified pathogens. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of eight children (five males and three females) who presented at a median age of nineteen months (range, twelve to twenty-five months). Clinical findings were compiled. Radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used to determine local spread of the abscess outside the epiphysis during the disease course. At the time of the latest follow-up evaluation, the presence of limited joint mobility or growth disturbance was determined. Physeal damage was evaluated with use of MRI. RESULTS: Pathogens were identified through multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG, Tokyo-172 strain) was identified in four patients; Mycobacterium tuberculosis, in three patients; and nontuberculous mycobacterium, in one patient. The lesion was located at the distal femoral epiphysis in six patients, at the proximal tibial epiphysis in one patient, and at the proximal humeral epiphysis in one patient. The abscess was confined to the epiphysis at the time of initial presentation but, over time, extended outside the epiphysis in seven cases. The lesion was initially located in the cartilaginous epiphysis in two patients, which could be diagnosed only on MRI. Seven patients worsened despite surgical drainage and medication, and five required additional surgery. At follow-up at a mean of 4.1 years (range, 1.3 to 7.8 years), focal physeal damage was evident in five patients, and clinical growth disturbance was evident in one patient. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to the reported benign features of epiphyseal osteomyelitis caused by bacteria or unidentified pathogens, mycobacterial epiphyseal osteomyelitis seems to have an unfavorable clinical course that tends to lead to physeal damage. MRI is useful for early diagnosis of a cartilaginous lesion and evaluation of abscess spread and physeal damage. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Community-acquired staphylococcal musculoskeletal infection in infants and young children: necessity of contrast-enhanced MRI for the diagnosis of growth cartilage involvement.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have reported that contrast-enhanced sequences do not increase the sensitivity of MRI for the diagnosis of pediatric osteomyelitis and are not needed in the absence of edema on unenhanced MRI sequences. Invasive skeletal infections due to community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus are increasingly encountered in infants and young children and have a proclivity for involvement of both the unossified growth cartilage and the metadiaphyseal bone marrow of the extremities. The study objective is to assess the diagnostic efficacy of contrast-enhanced and unenhanced MRI sequences for the diagnosis of community-acquired S. aureus extremity skeletal infection in infants and young children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of the clinical charts and imaging studies of patients younger than 18 months diagnosed with invasive community-acquired S. aureus skeletal infections from 2001 to 2009 at a large children's hospital. Sensitivity was calculated for the detection of skeletal infection on contrast-enhanced and unenhanced MRI sequences. The p values were calculated using the Fisher exact score method. The kappa value for interobserver reliability was determined. RESULTS: Community-acquired S. aureus skeletal infections were noted in 34 extremity sites in 25 patients, five of whom had more than one site of disease. The affected skeletal sites were metaphyseal or metadiaphyseal bone marrow only in 16 cases (47%), unossified growth cartilage only in nine cases (26%), and both the unossified growth cartilage and metaphyseal or metadiaphyseal bone marrow in nine cases (26%). In seven of the nine cases of isolated involvement of the unossified growth cartilage, the cartilage appeared normal on unenhanced sequences and the diagnosis was made only by the demonstration of hypoenhancing or nonenhancing foci in the cartilage after gadolinium-based contrast agent administration. In five of the nine cases of infection of both the unossified growth cartilage and metaphyseal or metadiaphyseal bone marrow, neither the cartilage nor bone marrow appeared abnormal on unenhanced sequences. Therefore, 12 cases of skeletal infection would have been missed without the inclusion of contrast-enhanced sequences. Follow-up extremity radiographs were available for 10 patients, eight (80%) of whom exhibited growth disturbances. CONCLUSION: Skeletal infection caused by community-acquired S. aureus in infants and young children manifests differently than in older children, including a propensity for involvement of the unossified growth cartilage and potentially occult nature of both cartilage and bone marrow involvement on unenhanced MRI sequences.

Surgical treatment of an infant with Bacille Calmette-Guérin osteomyelitis extending across the growth plate.

Bacille Calmette-Guérin osteomyelitis in infants is a known complication of Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccination. Treatment consists of antituberculosis chemotherapy after biopsy/curettage; however, in cases of Bacille Calmette-Guérin osteomyelitis extending to the growth plate and epiphysis, the extent and time of surgical treatment such as curettage/biopsy is unknown because of bone growth disturbances. This article presents a case of an infant with this type of Bacille Calmette-Guérin osteomyelitis at the proximal tibia. A metaanalytic review was performed for possible risk factors of its recurrence. In our patient, primary curettage of partial lesion, excluding the part extending to the growth plate and epiphysis, failed, and recurettage of the extended lesion involving the growth plate and epiphysis was required for its eradication, resulting in bone growth disturbance. In the metaanalysis, 7 literatures reporting 14 cases of Bacille Calmette-Guérin osteomyelitis extending to the growth plate and epiphysis were included. Although statistical analysis showed no significant risk factors associated with the recurrence, these cases showed high recurrence rate in approximately 55.6%, requiring reoperation. Generally, the smaller damage to the growth plate can minimize bone growth disturbance. Taken together, it is suggested that Bacille Calmette-Guérin osteomyelitis extending to the growth plate and epiphysis is associated with high recurrence rate, and early curettage of the entire lesion should be performed to eradicate it and avoid resulting complications.

Role of MRI in detecting early physeal changes due to acute osteoarticular infection around the knee joint: a pilot study.

Physeal changes of any aetiology in children are usually diagnosed once the deformity is clinically evident. Between January 2006 and June 2007, 15 children who suffered from acute osteoarticular infection around the knee joint were studied. They were called up for follow-up six months after the onset of infection. All patients were evaluated by clinical and roentgenographic examination before undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of both knees "with the unaffected knee serving as control". Abnormal findings in the physis, metaphysis and/or epiphysis on MRI were observed in five children. This group of five children was compared with the other ten children for clinical presentation and course of disease. We believe that MRI is a useful tool in the evaluation of growth plate insult in the early period following acute osteoarticular infection, and we can diagnose and prevent the catastrophic complications of the same.

Transphyseal spread of benign tumors and infections in pediatric patients: a series of six cases.

Epiphyseal extension of benign pathology is regarded as an infrequent occurrence. This observation has been attributed to anatomical and biochemical phenomenon unique to physeal cartilage. We report a retrospective series of six patients over a period of 4 years, diagnosed with benign pathologies that showed crossing of an open physeal plate by the disease. Four of these cases were infections and two were benign tumors. The patients were aged between 5 and 11 years, all of them were treated at a tertiary referral centre and followed up for a minimum period of 6 months to evaluate the progress of disease. The findings are more than just a pathological curiosity as they alter the management and surgical procedure that needs to be performed for these conditions. The recognition of the fact that benign tumors may occasionally present with transphyseal spread will prevent unjustified radical procedures that are best reserved for aggressive malignant conditions.

Effects of intervertebral disc infection on the developing ovine spine.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective in vivo animal study. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether infection in the juvenile spine influences spinal development. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Discitis is thought to occur in children when blood-borne infection penetrates the highly vascular immature disc. The condition generally resolves without apparent complication, but little is known about the long-term effects on the growing spine. METHODS: Twenty-nine 6-week-old lambs underwent discography at multiple lumbar levels using radiographic contrast deliberately inoculated with Staphylococcus epidermidis. No antibiotics were given. Plain radiographs were taken at intervals up to 52 weeks after inoculation for morphometric analysis of the vertebral bodies and discs, and the lumbar spines were prepared for histology. RESULTS: Sixteen of 44 inoculated discs showed radiological evidence of discitis between 2 and 6 weeks after inoculation. Disc height and disc area were significantly reduced from 2 weeks, and did not recover during the study period. Vertebral body dimensions and overall lumbar spine length were not significantly affected. CONCLUSION: Infection of juvenile ovine discs impedes disc development but has no significant effect on vertebral body growth.

Emprego do bacteriófago D29 na determinação quantitativa da resistência de Mycobacterium tuberculosis à rifampicina e sua correlação com o gene rpo BETA / D29 phage use on Mycobacterium tuberculosis quantitative resistance determination to rifampin and its rpo

O Mycobacterium tuberculosis agente causador da tuberculose tem sido enfoque no cenário mundial, devido à surgimento de cepas resistentes a drogas da primeira linha de tratamento (rifampicina, isoniazida, pirazinamida e etambutol). Em 1998 foram notificadas 82.931 casos de tuberculose, e destes 22 porcento referentes ao Estado de São Paulo. A taxa de resistência a rifampicina no Brasil foi de 1,3 porcento no período de 1994 a 1997. O teste de sensibilidade é recomendado a todas as cepas isoladas com intuito de diagnosticar rapidamente cepas resistentes. Neste trabalho foi apresentada uma nova metodologia para determinação da Concentração Inibitória Mínima (CIM) de rifampicina em cepas de M. tuberculosis utilizando o bacteriófago D29...

Proximal tibiotarsal infarcts in turkeys.

Necrotic lesions in the proximal tibiotarsal bones of turkeys were evaluated by pathologic and bacteriologic examinations. Lesions were compatible with infarcts and were grossly visible as focal, gray-black, red-black, or entirely black triangular areas in the growth plate and proximal metaphysis at the posterior-medial angle of the tibial head. The lesions were detected in 408 of 1000 (41%) tibias that were collected at seven processing plants. Histologic lesions were characterized by thrombosed blood vessels and a well-demarcated focal area of necrosis primarily in the growth plate. No inflammatory cells were present. Massive hemorrhage and cellular debris were common in the necrotic zone, and extensive, fibrin-lined clefts were often seen nearby. Staphylococci and Escherichia coli were frequently isolated from the lesions either in pure cultures or in combination with other bacteria. Histologic evidence suggests that the infarcts were probably traumatic in origin and that the bacterial infection was secondary.