[Pyogenic arthritis: case reports and a review of the literature]

The authors studied septic arthritis in patients of the Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo. The pathogeny, the etiology and the diagnosis with clinical and laboratory findings are discussed. Our data are in accordance with those found in the literature. The main site was the knee joint and the etiologic agent Staphylococcus aureus. The authors point to the necessity of an early diagnosis and to the fact that the treatment of septic arthritis must be started as soon as possible.