[Infectious bursitis: study of 40 cases in the pre-patellar and olecranon regions]

Septic bursitis usually affects subcutaneous localized bursae such the prepatellar and elbow bursae. This condition is infrequently reported in the spanish medical literature. The aim of this report was to study patients suffering from septic bursitis with regard to predisposing conditions, the causative agents, therapy and clinical outcome.

A retrospective study was undertaken in patients with infectious bursitis attended in the Service of Rheumatology of the POVISA Medical Centre (Vigo) and Juan Canalejo Hospital (La Coruña), Spain, from january 1989 to january 1995. The diagnosis of septic bursitis was confirmed with positive bursal fluid cultures in all cases.

We recovered forty cases of infectious bursitis (23 olecranon bursitis and 17 prepatellar bursitis). Most patients were male (80%), and patient mean age was 52 years (range: 14-94). The most common predisposing factors to bacterial infection were steroid therapy (15%) and alcoholism (8%), in addition to cutaneous lesions associated with occupational or recreational trauma (55%). Prepatellar septic bursitis was associated with a more aggressive clinical presentation with fever (71% vs 48%), leukocytosis (76% vs 52%), cellulitis (59% vs 48%) and positive blood cultures (25% vs 0%). Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 87.5% of bursal fluid aspirations, the other etiologic microrganism were Staphylococcus epidermidis (2 cases), Streptococcus agalactiae (2 cases) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (1 case). The majority of patients (80%) required initial intravenous therapy of which average duration was 11 days (range: 5-21 days). Successful resolution of septic bursitis without open surgical drainage was seen in 38 patients (95%) and there ware no functional impairment, serious complications or recurrences.

The majority of patients with septic bursitis suffered systemic and/or local predisposing illness. S. aureus is the commonest pathogen. Prepatellar septic bursitis is associated with a more aggressive clinical presentation and bacteremia. Usually, the prompt and proper antibiotic therapy make innecessary surgical drainage.