• Matthew Street and Haemish Crawford.
• *Department of Medicine, University of Auckland †Starship Children's Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
• J Pediatr Orthop. 2015 Sep 1; 35 (6): 628-33.

BackgroundOsteomyelitis is a common problem among the pediatric population. The humerus is the most commonly affected bone in the upper limb; however, there are relatively few series in the literature. This article retrospectively reviews a large number of cases of pediatric humeral osteomyelitis. We aim to further define the disease and its clinical course to aid in improved treatment.MethodsA 10-year retrospective review was performed of clinical records of pediatric humeral osteomyelitis at the 2 children's orthopaedic departments in the Auckland region. The Osteomyelitis Database was used to identify all cases between 1997 and 2007 at Starship Children's Hospital, and 1998 and 2008 at Middlemore's Kidz First Hospital.ResultsForty-nine patients were identified. Sixty-one percent were male with an average age of 4.2 years. Maori and Pacific Islanders were overrepresented. Seventy-eight percent were not using the limb, 70% complained of pain. Only 55% were febrile. White cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein raised in 73%, 74%, and 79% of cases, respectively. X-ray, bone scintigraphy, and particularly magnetic resonance imaging were useful in radiologic diagnosis. Blood and tissue cultures revealed Staphylococcus aureus as the most common organism; there were 2 cases of community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus. The distal humerus was more commonly affected. Fifty-three percent required surgery. Antibiotic therapy averaged 2.7 weeks intravenous and 2.6 weeks of oral therapy. There were 7 cases with adjacent septic arthritis, which had higher inflammatory markers. Major complications included 2 multiorgan failure and 1 growth disturbance.ConclusionsHumeral osteomyelitis can be diagnosed with an appropriate history, clinical examination, and investigations. One should be aware of concurrent septic arthritis and be prepared to treat this urgently. Those children with septic arthritis were not using the limb and had higher inflammatory markers. Treatment with intravenous and oral antibiotics and surgical debridement/washout if indicated can lead to good clinical outcomes with minimal complications.Level Of EvidenceLevel IV-retrospective case series.

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