Post-traumatic osteomyelitis. Delay in appearance after infection and prognostic value of radiological signs

Only 24 patients with post-traumatic osteomyelitis were found from records covering a period of five years. Twenty-two of them with complete medical histories are reviewed here. The radiographs were usually taken through plaster of Paris, and therefore the radiological diagnosis was established later than the clinical one in half of the cases. There were only four cases with a true delay. The primary radiological signs leading to the osteomyelitis diagnosis appeared on average 4.3 months after the assumed time of infection. It is our feeling that the current widespread use of antibiotics causes the diagnosis to be delayed even more than it was in the days of haematogenous osteomyelitis. Continuous formation of periosteal new bone layers indicated poorer prospects for healing of the osteomyelitis.