[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.