Arthritis or an Adjacent Fascial Response? A Case Report of Combined Pyomyositis and Aseptic Arthritis

Pyomyositis, accompanied by aseptic arthritis, has been previously documented in several publications. However, none of the authors in the mentioned case reports offered a pathophysiological explanation for this unusual phenomenon or proposed a treatment protocol. We present a case of a healthy, 70-...

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Main Authors: Noa Martonovich, Sharon Reisfeld, Yaniv Yonai, Eyal Behrbalk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Rheumatology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/2608144
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author Noa Martonovich
Sharon Reisfeld
Yaniv Yonai
Eyal Behrbalk
author_facet Noa Martonovich
Sharon Reisfeld
Yaniv Yonai
Eyal Behrbalk
author_sort Noa Martonovich
collection DOAJ
description Pyomyositis, accompanied by aseptic arthritis, has been previously documented in several publications. However, none of the authors in the mentioned case reports offered a pathophysiological explanation for this unusual phenomenon or proposed a treatment protocol. We present a case of a healthy, 70-year-old male who was presented to the emergency department 4 days after tripping over a pile of wooden planks and getting stabbed by a nail to his thigh. The right thigh was swollen. Unproportional pain was produced by a light touch to the thigh. A laboratory test and a CT scan were obtained. The working diagnosis was pyomyositis of the thigh and septic arthritis of the ipsilateral knee. The patient underwent urgent debridement and irrigation of his right thigh. An arthroscopic knee lavage was performed as well. Intraoperative cultures from the thigh revealed the growth of Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. Cultures from synovial fluid were sterile; thus, septic arthritis was very unlikely. The source of the knee effusion might have been an aseptic inflammatory response due to the proximity of the thigh infection. Anatomically, the quadriceps muscle inserts on the patella, and its tendon fuses with the knee capsule, creating a direct fascial track from the thigh to the knee. The inflammatory response surrounding the infection may have followed this track, creating a domino effect, affecting adjacent capillaries within the joint capsule, and causing plasma leakage into the synovial space, leading to joint effusion. Our suggested treatment is addressing the primary infection with antibiotics and considering adding anti-inflammatory therapy, given our suspicion that this process has an inflammatory component.
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spelling doaj-art-0104d19affee45a9b693ac4933e971552025-08-20T03:22:31ZengWileyCase Reports in Rheumatology2090-68972024-01-01202410.1155/2024/2608144Arthritis or an Adjacent Fascial Response? A Case Report of Combined Pyomyositis and Aseptic ArthritisNoa Martonovich0Sharon Reisfeld1Yaniv Yonai2Eyal Behrbalk3Orthopedic Surgery DepartmentRappaport Faculty of MedicineOrthopedic Surgery DepartmentOrthopedic Surgery DepartmentPyomyositis, accompanied by aseptic arthritis, has been previously documented in several publications. However, none of the authors in the mentioned case reports offered a pathophysiological explanation for this unusual phenomenon or proposed a treatment protocol. We present a case of a healthy, 70-year-old male who was presented to the emergency department 4 days after tripping over a pile of wooden planks and getting stabbed by a nail to his thigh. The right thigh was swollen. Unproportional pain was produced by a light touch to the thigh. A laboratory test and a CT scan were obtained. The working diagnosis was pyomyositis of the thigh and septic arthritis of the ipsilateral knee. The patient underwent urgent debridement and irrigation of his right thigh. An arthroscopic knee lavage was performed as well. Intraoperative cultures from the thigh revealed the growth of Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. Cultures from synovial fluid were sterile; thus, septic arthritis was very unlikely. The source of the knee effusion might have been an aseptic inflammatory response due to the proximity of the thigh infection. Anatomically, the quadriceps muscle inserts on the patella, and its tendon fuses with the knee capsule, creating a direct fascial track from the thigh to the knee. The inflammatory response surrounding the infection may have followed this track, creating a domino effect, affecting adjacent capillaries within the joint capsule, and causing plasma leakage into the synovial space, leading to joint effusion. Our suggested treatment is addressing the primary infection with antibiotics and considering adding anti-inflammatory therapy, given our suspicion that this process has an inflammatory component.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/2608144
spellingShingle Noa Martonovich
Sharon Reisfeld
Yaniv Yonai
Eyal Behrbalk
Arthritis or an Adjacent Fascial Response? A Case Report of Combined Pyomyositis and Aseptic Arthritis
Case Reports in Rheumatology
title Arthritis or an Adjacent Fascial Response? A Case Report of Combined Pyomyositis and Aseptic Arthritis
title_full Arthritis or an Adjacent Fascial Response? A Case Report of Combined Pyomyositis and Aseptic Arthritis
title_fullStr Arthritis or an Adjacent Fascial Response? A Case Report of Combined Pyomyositis and Aseptic Arthritis
title_full_unstemmed Arthritis or an Adjacent Fascial Response? A Case Report of Combined Pyomyositis and Aseptic Arthritis
title_short Arthritis or an Adjacent Fascial Response? A Case Report of Combined Pyomyositis and Aseptic Arthritis
title_sort arthritis or an adjacent fascial response a case report of combined pyomyositis and aseptic arthritis
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/2608144
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