Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Joint Infection Following Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

The diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty has been one of the major challenges in orthopedic surgery. As there is no single absolute test for diagnosis of PJI, diagnostic criteria for PJI have been proposed that include using several diagnostic modalities. Focused history, physical examination, plain radiographs, and initial serologic tests should be followed by joint aspiration and synovial analysis. Newer diagnostic techniques, such as alpha-defensin and interleukin-6, hold great promise in the future diagnosis of equivocal infections.