Abstract
Osteomyelitis localized in the talus is uncommon because of the anatomy and the vascular supply. We report one case of osteomyelitis of the talus in an infant. The patient was a 16-month-old girl, who refused to bear weight on her right foot. There was swelling on her right ankle. Radiographs showed mostly normal findings, immobilization in plaster and treatment with antibiotics were performed. Nine days later, well-defined osteolytic lesion in the body of the talus was apparent on roentgenograms. Computer tomography (CT) showed the damaged cortex of the talus. Plain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed low intensity on T1-weighted images, and high intensity on T2-weighted images in the greater part of the talus. After sixteen days of treatment, we undertook surgical drainage with bone biopsy. The diagnosis of osteomyelitis was confirmed by histological examination of the curetted bone. After the operation, the patient was treated with antibiotics. There have been no signs of recurrence for 21 months following the operation.
If good results are not obtained by splinting and administration of antibiotics at an early stage, surgical treatment should be performed.
