Abstracto

Crystal arthropathy of the prosthetic joint

Mahdi Yacine Khalfaoui

Complications following knee and hip arthroplasty surgery are not uncommon, with features of pain, erythema, warmth and an effusion strongly suggestive of an underlying infective process. Managing septic arthritis in the setting of a prosthetic joint usually requires complex and invasive surgery. A diagnosis of peri-prosthetic crystal arthropathy is often overlooked, however over the last three decades multiple case reports and case series have been published describing this complication in the setting of hip and knee arthroplasty. A greater awareness of this rare complication can result in complete symptom resolution using conservative measures alone with the avoidance of invasive surgery usually performed for suspected sepsis.