Authors : Tashi G Khonglah, Bhaskar Borgohain, Kashif A Ahmed
DOI : 10.18231/j.ijos.2020.010
Volume : 6
Issue : 1
Year : 2020
Page No : 50-53
Brodie’s abscess is a form of subacute osteomyelitis. It is a diagnostic problem because such patients
typically have mild local symptoms, few or no constitutional symptoms, and near-normal laboratory values.
Though metaphyseal lesions were common in the proximal tibia and proximal femur, these lesions rarely
affect the femoral head and neck. We report a case of a 16-year-old girl presenting with a rare Brodie’s
abscess involving the femoral head that was treated using an arthroscopically assisted curettage of the lesion
combined with culture-directed antibiotics. This unusual location would have increased the likelihood of
incomplete excision of the diseased tissue and would have led to recurrence. To avoid these risks, we opted
for arthroscopic curettage under fluoroscopic guidance using a lateral approach. By this improvised method,
there was minimal resection of bone and we found this technique of evacuation safe, uncomplicated and
minimally invasive which resulted in early recovery.
Keywords: Arthroscopic debridement, Bone infection, Brodie’s abscess, Head of Femur, Hip joint, Subacute osteomyelitis.