Septic arthritis of the wrist: about six cases

The wrist is a rare location of septic arthritis. It often involves patients with preexisting joint disease which symptoms could be confused with infection making the diagnosis more difficult and usually delayed. It is often responsible for residual functional impairment and for a high mortality rate among vulnerable patients. We report 6 cases of septic arthritis of the wrist in 3 males and 3 females. The mean age was 32 years in the male patients and 66 in the female patients. All the women were followed for rheumatoid arthritis. Biological results showed elevated rates of white blood cells and c-reactive protein in all the patients. Joint fluid analyses showed elevated white blood cell count. The treatment was medico-surgical consisting in synovectomy, joint debridement and immobilization of the wrist. At the average follow-up of 1 year and 4 months, 3 patients recovered a perfect mobility of the wrist without any limitation of the range of motion nor the strength. Three patients developed stiffness of the wrist.