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Sonication fluid cultures yielded better sensitivity in infection diagnosis
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For the diagnosis of infected megaprostheses in patients with tumors, results published in Orthopedics showed better sensitivity and negative predictive value and a similar specificity and positive predictive value with sonication fluid cultures compared with tissue cultures.
Researchers performed cultures on five tissue samples obtained from 58 patients who underwent revision surgery for suspected infected endoprosthetic reconstruction. Researchers also obtained fluid by sonication of the megaprosthesis and evaluated the sensitivity, specificity and negative and positive predictive values of tissue and sonication fluid cultures.
Results showed 42 of 58 patients had infection confirmed by tissue and sonication fluid cultures. Researchers noted tissue and sonication fluid cultures identified the same bacterial isolate in 36 of 42 infected endoprosthetic reconstructions. Sonication fluid cultures only identified bacterial isolate in five cases, according to results, and tissue cultures only identified bacterial isolate in one case. Researchers found sonication fluid cultures had statistically significantly better sensitivity and negative predictive value compared with tissue cultures. However, results showed no differences in specificity and positive predictive value between the two culture types. – by Casey Tingle
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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