YOHANANTH SIVANANTHAN

NEPALGUNJ MEDICAL COLLEGE

NEPALGUNJ

This can be divided in to two types

General complications

Local complications

General complications

Child may develop septicemia and pyemia in

early stage

Uncontrolled may prove fatal

Local complication

It is unfortunate that a large number of cases of acute osteomyelitis in developing countries develop serious complications.

Most of these are because of delay in diagnosis and inadequate treatment.Some of the common complications are as follws:

Chronic osteomyelitis

Commonest complication of acute osteomyelitis.

There are hardly any radiological features in the early stage.

Delay in diagnosis leads to sequestrum formation and pent-up pus in the cavities inside the bone.

Poor host ressistance is another reason for the chronicity of the disease.

Acute pyogenic arthritis This occurs in joints where metaphysis is intraarticular

Eg: the hip (upper femoral metaphysis), the shoulder (upper humeral metaphysis)

Pathological fracture This occurs through a bone which has been weakened

by the window made during surgery.

It can be avoided by adequately splinting the limb.

Growth plate disturbances It may be damaged leading to complete or partial

cessation of growth.

This may lead to shortening lengthening or deformity of limb.