Osteomyelitis

Injury Disease Nutrition Poison Symptoms Surgery Test Special Topic

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X-ray Skeleton Osteomyelitis

Overview Symptoms Treatment Prevention

Osteomyelitis

• Pain in the bone
• Local swelling, redness, and warmth
• Fever
• Nausea
• General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
• Drainage of pus through the skin (in chronic osteomyelitis)

• Excessive sweating
• Chills
• Low back pain
• Swelling of the ankles, feet, and legs

A physical examination shows bone tenderness and possibly swelling and redness.

• A bone scan indicates infected bone.
• A CBC shows elevated white blood cell count.
• The ESR is elevated.
• Blood cultures may help identify the causative organism.
• An MRI and a needle aspiration of the area around infected bones for culture may be done.
• A bone lesion biopsy and culture may be positive for the organism.
• A skin lesion with a sinus tract (the lesion "tunnels" under the tissues) may yield drainage of pus for culture.

• Joint x-ray
• Hand x-ray
• Extremity x-ray
• Bone x-ray
• ALP (alkaline phosphatase) isoenzyme
• ALP

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