Preoperative Aspiration Culture (PAC) for the Diagnosis of Infection in a Prosthetic Knee Joint

Document Type : CURRENT CONCEPTS REVIEW

Author

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, La Paz University Hospital- IdiPaz, Paseo de la Castellana, Madrid, Spain

Abstract

Background: Periprosthetic infection is the most serious joint replacement complication, occurring in 0.8-1.9% of total
knee arthroplasties (TKAs).
This review aims to define the role of preoperative aspiration culture (PAC) for diagnosis of TKA infection.
Methods: A PubMed (MEDLINE) search related to TKA infection and PAC was analyzed. The main criteria for selection
were that the articles were focused in the aforementioned question.
Results: Twenty articles were found, but only fourteen were selected and reviewed because they were deeply
focused on the topic. PAC has shown an average sensitivity of 67.6% (range, 28% to 100%) and an average
specificity of 98.4% (range, 96% to 100%).
Conclusion: PAC has moderate to high sensitivity and very high specificity for diagnosing TKA infection.
Level of evidence: III

Keywords

Main Subjects


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