A Clinical Study of Septic Arthritis of the Shoulder in Adults

Abstract

Septic arthritis of the shoulder is uncommon in adults. We reported on the cases of four patients. Between 1991and 2001, a total of eighteen patients with joint infection in general were admitted to our hospital. Of these, four patients had septic arthritis of the shoulder. There were two males and two females aged from sixty-five to eighty-six years old (means seventy-two). Two patients had predisposing factors. One patient had had steroid injections of the shoulder before development of the infection. Three patients had infected different organisms. Each one had only a pseudomonus aerginosa, a citrobacter koseri, or a staphylococcus aureus. In one patient, the organism was not isolated. Two patients were not successfully treated by only an operative drainage, so they were treated by arthrotomy, debridement, and insertion of a drain. One patient was treated by arthroscopic debridement and insertion of a drain. One patient was treated by arthrotomy, debridement, decapitation and insertion of drain. After treatment, three patients regained forward flexion 90 degrees or more, one patient with decapitation had no active motion of the glenohumeral joint.