Abstract

Background: To this day, periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) continue to rank among orthopedic surgery’s most difficult consequence. Aim: to learn more about pro-calcitonin (PCT) and its role in PJI diagnosis and treatment. Patients and methods: Thirty patients at El-Hussien University Hospital were monitored prospectively for two years after a PJI diagnosis. Results: All cases examined showed elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), with a mean value of 51.8 (±23.64 SD) and a range from 12 to 102. Similarly, all cases showed increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), with a mean of 69.8 (±24.59 SD) and a range of 18 to 114. Additionally, 24 cases presented elevated pro-calcitonin levels, while 6 cases were within normal limits, yielding a median of 0.35 (IQR: 0.24-0.43) and a range of 0.01 to 0.49. Among the cases studied, 3 (10%) had negative cultures, whereas 27 (90%) had positive cultures, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most frequently identified organism in 12 (40%) of the cases. At the follow-up stage, all cases demonstrated normal levels of CRP and ESR, but 3 cases showed elevated pro-calcitonin. Conclusion: Procalcitonin (PCT) can detect infection control and patient outcomes evaluating infection state in a two-phase revision procedure for periprosthetic hip infections and determining optimal reimplantation timing, in combination with other strong inflammatory marker.

Keywords

preprothtic Joint infection, total Joint infection, pro- calcitonin