[Anatomopathological aspects and treatment of sternitis and sternochondritis after cardiac surgery]

The authors report their experience of the treatment of sternitis on a surgical unit. They analyse here 23 case records out of 31 cases of sternitis treated on their unit. Out of these 23, there were 3 deaths (13 p. 100) and 16 cures (69,5 p. 100) with an average follow up of 20 months. The solutions adopted, including extremely wide exposure and, in some cases, removal of infected bone, are justified by the fact that these patients were admitted from other surgical units. The diagnosis was facilitated by the fact this unit includes a clinical bacteriology research unit. The authors make no apologies for using very classical surgical methods and attempt to demonstrate that these extreme cases require radical surgery. Their original contribution consists of the rational use of antibiotics, but the surgical solution is pre-eminent.