抄録
Recently, surgical drainage has been the first choice of treatment for septic arthritis of the knee. One of the most important factors in treating septic arthritis is the time until the start of drainage. The intra-articular distension-irrigation system (IADIS) offers some advantages over surgical drainage, including ease of starting immediately, lower cost, and no complex preparation.
Sixteen patients with septic arthritis of the knee who underwent IADIS between 1993 and 2002 were evaluated retrospectively. Their ages ranged from 13 to 79 years (mean=53) . The time until the start of drainage ranged from 2 to 30 days (mean=10.4) . Twelve of the sixteen patients recovered from septic arthritis of the knee with only IADIS combined with antibiotic therapy, although three of these twelve patients required repeated IADIS. We have obtained satisfactory results of IADIS that bear comparison with those of surgical drainage. The time until the start of drainage was significantly shorter in the group with excellent results. In summary we suggest that IADIS for septic arthritis of the knee is treatment alternative to surgical drainage when arthroscopic surgery can not be performed immediately.
