Pediatric calcaneal osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis continues to be a common problem amongst the pediatric population. Osteomyelitis of the calcaneus is an uncommon problem that still poses a problem to the treating physician. The purpose of this article is to retrospectively review a large series of pediatric patients with calcaneal osteomyelitis. We compare our experience with that in the literature to determine any factors that may aid earlier diagnosis and or improve treatment outcomes.

A 10-year retrospective review was performed of clinical records of all cases of pediatric calcaneal osteomyelitis managed at the 2 children's orthopaedic departments in the Auckland region. The Osteomyelitis Database was used to identify all cases between 1997 and 2007, at Starship Children's Hospital, and 1998 and 2008 at Middlemore's Kids First Hospital.

Sixty patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and had a review of clinical notes and relevant investigations. The average duration of symptoms before presentation to hospital was 6.8 days. About 40% of patients had a recent episode of trauma. About 82% of patients could not bear weight on admission. Only 22% of patients had a temperature above 38°C. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate was elevated in 81% and the C-reactive protein was elevated in 77% of patients. About 27% of patients had positive blood cultures with Staphylococcus aureus being the most commonly cultured organism. X-rays, bone scans, and magnetic resonance imaging were all used to aid the diagnosis. About 20% of patients had surgery with an average of 1.3 surgeries for those who progressed to surgery. Treatment length was an average of 2 weeks 6 days of intravenous antibiotics followed by 3 weeks 2 days of oral treatment. There were no postsurgical complications and 10 readmissions: 3 for relapse, 3 for peripherally inserted central catheter line problems, and 4 for antibiotic-associated complications.

Although sometimes more difficult to diagnose, calcaneal osteomyelitis can be diagnosed with an appropriate history, clinical examination, and investigations. Treatment with intravenous and oral antibiotics and surgical debridement if indicated can lead to a good clinical outcome with minimal complications.