Osteomyelitis of the patella is uncommon, because of the anatomy and the circulation of the patella. We recently experienced a case of osteomyelitis of the patella in a nine-year-old male.
He hit his left knee against a desk and suffered pain in his left knee. There was extreme tenderness and swelling on his left knee and his temperature rose to 37.9°C. Laboratory studies showed a white blood cell count of 12300/mm3, and CRP of 2.93mg/dl. Roentgenograms showed osteolysis of the lateral part of the patella. T1-weighted MR images showed a low signal intensity and T2-weighted MR images showed a high signal intensity in the greater part of the patella. Antibiotics were not so effective, and on the twenty-fifth day from onset, we performed a curettage of the lesion. Eight months after the surgery there were no signs of inflammation, and he reported no complaints.
We emphasize that in cases of osoetmyelitis of the patella surgical therapy should be performed at an early stage, if antibiotics do not prove effective.
