Osteitis pubis after Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz urethropexy

The challenges in diagnosis and management of osteitis pubis: An algorithm based on current evidence

Objective

The objective of this study is to summarise the contemporary evidence regarding the prevalence, diagnosis, and management of osteitis pubis (OP) specially from urological point of view, while proposing an algorithm for the best management based on the current evidence.

Methods

We performed a literature search using the PubMed database for the term ‘osteitis pubis’ until December 2020. We assessed pre‐clinical and clinical studies regarding the aetiology, pathophysiology, and management of OP. Case reports and case series were evaluated by study quality and patient outcomes to determine a potential clinical management algorithm.

Results

Osteitis pubis is a chronic painful condition of the symphysis pubis joint and its surrounding structures. Still, there is a paucity of data outlining the management plan and the possible triggers. The aetiology seems to be multifactorial with different proposals trying to explain the pathophysiology and correlate the findings to the outcome. The diagnosis is usually based on high suspicion index and clinical experience. The infective variant of the disease is aggressive and requires strict and active management. Universal consensus is still lacking regarding a formal algorithm of management of the condition, especially due to multiple specialities involved in the decision‐making process. Conservative management remains the cornerstone; nevertheless, surgical interventions may be needed in special settings. Hence, a multi‐disciplinary approach is of pivotal value in fashioning the plan for each case. The prognosis is usually satisfactory; however, a longstanding debilitating disease form is not uncommon.

Conclusion

OP remains a rare condition with real challenges in its diagnosis. The current management is focused on conservative management; however, surgical intervention is still needed in some difficult scenarios. Continued research into the triggers of OP, multidisciplinary approach, and standardised clinical pathways can improve the quality of care for patients suffering from this condition.

[Post-surgical septic arthritis of the pubic symphysis]

The post-surgical septic arthritis of the pubic symphysis is a rare infection, often unrecognized because sometimes it is difficult to diagnose. It should be suspected in the presence of pelvic pain with fever and sometimes lameness or painful radiation to the lower limbs but the symptoms can be misleading. We report 3 cases of post surgical septic arthritis of the pubic symphysis to illustrate it. Differential diagnoses are numerous and additional tests not always specific. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations are essential to substantiate the diagnosis or to guide sampling. The appropriate antibiotic treatment against the identified germ, which is extended at least six weeks, will most often, when started early, allow the healing though pain can persist for several months.

Endoscopic pubic symphysectomy for reclacitrant osteitis pubis associated with bilateral femoroacetabular impingement

This is the first reported case of the completely endoscopic management of osteitis pubis with pubic symphysectomy. A 31-year-old woman suffered from recalcitrant osteitis pubis that had progressed to an end-stage auto-fused condition. Ossified pubic symphyseal fibrocartilage and adjacent heterotopic bone were endoscopically removed as part of a comprehensive surgery that also involved bilateral arthroscopic surgery for symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement. An innovative dual-portal (anterior and supra-pubic) endoscopic technique is presented along with the rationale for the preservation of the inferior (arcuate) pubic ligament and the posterior pubic ligament. Twelve months following this single-stage surgery, the patient reported high satisfaction with decreased pain, improved function, and resolution of a classic waddling gait. The association of intra-articular hip pathology with osteitis pubis is noted. We believe that this minimally invasive bone-conserving surgery may be useful in the management of recalcitrant osteitis pubis and perhaps find broader application in the outpatient endoscopic treatment of athletes afflicted with this condition.

Technique for removal of symptomatic bone anchors placed during stress incontinence surgery

INTRODUCTION

To present an uncomplicated, reliable technique for bone anchor removal in patients with anchor-related infections or chronic pain.

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

We removed 17 anchors from 9 patients between 1999 and 2004. The surgical technique used fluoroscopy for localization of the anchors and an orthopedic broken screw removal instrument for resection of the anchor and surrounding bone. Nine patients with bone anchors had been symptomatic with chronic pain and/or wound drainage for a mean of 23.7 months before surgery. After removal, 10 anchors grew positive bacterial cultures. The most common organism was coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. During a mean follow-up period of 6.8 months after hardware removal, 8 of the 9 patients had symptomatic improvement.

CONCLUSIONS

Fluoroscopic localization and en bloc resection with a broken screw removal instrument is an effective method of removing symptomatic bone anchors.