A Comparison of the Epidemiology, Clinical Features, and Treatment of Acute Osteomyelitis in Hospitalized Children in Latvia and Norway

Ultrasound-Guided Needle Aspiration of Subperiosteal Abscess in a Child with Acute Osteomyelitis of the Fibula: A Case Report

CASE

An 8-year-old boy with left lateral ankle pain was diagnosed with acute osteomyelitis after methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus was identified in a subperiosteal abscess in the distal fibula that had been aspirated using an ultrasound-guided needle. Symptoms improved after 2 weeks of intravenous and 4 weeks of oral antimicrobial therapy; no additional treatment was required. No growth retardation or sequelae were observed at the 6-year follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

In acute osteomyelitis, the identification of subperiosteal abscess is key for early diagnosis. Ultrasound evaluation of the distal fibula should also be considered in the diagnosis of lateral ankle pain in children.

Ultrasound Instead of X-Ray to Diagnose Neonatal Fractures: A Feasibility Study Based on a Case Series

BACKGROUND

Fracture is a common birth injury in neonates, and its diagnosis mainly depends on chest X-ray examination, while ultrasound is typically not included in the diagnostic work-up of neonatal fractures. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using ultrasound to replace X-rays for the diagnosis of fractures in newborns and to determine the ultrasound characteristics of such fractures.

METHODS

Bedside ultrasound with an appropriate probe and scanning angle was performed on 52 newborn infants with suspected fractures based on physical examination findings, and the ultrasound results were compared with the X-ray examination results.

RESULTS

All 52 infants (100%) showed typical signs of fracture on ultrasound, including 46 cases of clavicle fracture, 3 cases of skull fracture, 2 cases of rib fracture, and 1 case of humerus fracture. Ultrasound was able to detect interrupted cortical continuity, displacement or angulation at the broken end, and callus formation during the recovery period. Chest X-ray examination was performed on 30 patients and identified 96.7% (29/30) of fractures, and the coincidence rate between ultrasound and X-ray was 100%. However, the sensitivity of ultrasound was higher than that of X-ray.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasound diagnosis of neonatal fracture is accurate, reliable, simple, and feasible. Therefore, it can replace X-ray examinations for the routine diagnosis of common types of neonatal bone fractures.

Osteoarticular Infections in Pediatric Hospitals in Europe: A Prospective Cohort Study From the EUCLIDS Consortium

BACKGROUND

Pediatric osteoarticular infections (POAIs) are serious diseases requiring early diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS

In this prospective multicenter cohort study, children with POAIs were selected from the European Union Childhood Life-threatening Infectious Diseases Study (EUCLIDS) database to analyze their demographic, clinical, and microbiological data.

RESULTS

A cohort of 380 patients with POAIs, 203 with osteomyelitis (OM), 158 with septic arthritis (SA), and 19 with both OM and SA, was analyzed. Thirty-five patients were admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit; out of these, six suffered from shock, one needed an amputation of the right foot and of four left toes, and two had skin transplantation. According to the Pediatric Overall Performance Score, 36 (10.5%) showed a mild overall disability, 3 (0.8%) a moderate, and 1 (0.2%) a severe overall disability at discharge. A causative organism was detected in 65% (247/380) of patients. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was identified in 57.1% (141/247) of microbiological confirmed cases, including 1 (0.7%) methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and 6 (4.2%) Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-producing S. aureus, followed by Group A Streptococcus (18.2%) and Kingella kingae (8.9%). K. kingae and PVL production in S. aureus were less frequently reported than expected from the literature.

CONCLUSION

POAIs are associated with a substantial morbidity in European children, with S. aureus being the major detected pathogen. In one-third of patients, no causative organism is identified. Our observations show an urgent need for the development of a vaccine against S. aureus and for the development of new microbiologic diagnostic guidelines for POAIs in European pediatric hospitals.