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PubMed1998

An unusual cause of low back pain. Osteomyelitis of the spinous process.

STUDY DESIGN: A case report of osteomyelitis of the spinous process. OBJECTIVE: To describe the diagnosis and successful treatment of a patient with spinous process osteomyelitis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Spinous process osteomyelitis is exceedingly rare and may be misdiagnosed as paraspinal muscle strain, discitis, or vertebral body osteomyelitis. The clinical presentation of spinous process osteomyelitis is subtle, laboratory findings are nonspecific, and radiographs are often normal. METHODS: The diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of two patients with spinous process osteomyelitis (an adult and a child) with insidious, nonspecific lumbar pain and fever are reviewed. RESULTS: Magnetic resonance imaging with and without gadolinium enhancement demonstrated increased signal of the spinous process with paraspinous musculature enhancement, a finding consistent with spinous process osteomyelitis. Biopsy results demonstrated the presence of staphylococcus aureus in the child and no organisms in the adult. Treatment with intravenous antibiotics led to resolution in both cases. CONCLUSIONS: The use of magnetic resonance imaging technology permitted the early and accurate diagnosis of spinous process osteomyelitis.

Child↗
PubMed2004

Mycobacterium bovis BCG vaccination as prophylaxis against Mycobacterium ulcerans osteomyelitis in Buruli ulcer disease.

Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, or Buruli ulcer (BU), causes significant morbidity in West Africa. Clinically, the disease presents in the skin as either nonulcerative or ulcerative forms and often invades bones either subjacent to the skin lesion (contiguous osteomyelitis) or remote from the skin lesion (metastatic osteomyelitis). Osteomyelitis represents a severe form of the disease that often requires numerous surgical interventions, even amputations. Surgery is accepted as the present definitive treatment for BU. In the absence of an effective drug treatment, the need for the development of preventive and control strategies becomes paramount. No specific vaccine, however, is presently available for BU. Of 372 consecutive patients in Benin presenting with BU (confirmed by microbiological and histopathological analyses) whose Mycobacterium bovis BCG scar statuses were known, 196 children (<15 years old) and 108 adults had neonatal BCG vaccination scars. Of 196 children with BCG scars, 17 (8.7%) had osteomyelitis, while 7 of 28 children without BCG scars (25.0%) had osteomyelitis. Of 108 adults with BCG scars, 17 (15.7%) had osteomyelitis, while 14 of 40 adults without BCG scars (35.0%) had osteomyelitis. Our results show that effective BCG vaccination at birth provides significant protection against the development of M. ulcerans osteomyelitis in children and adults. Therefore, health authorities should give attention to the enhancement of neonatal BCG vaccination coverage in all countries of Africa where BU is endemic. Protection against severe forms of BU and childhood tuberculosis would likewise be improved by this intervention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

MR image analysis of pedal osteomyelitis: distribution, patterns of spread, and frequency of associated ulceration and septic arthritis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the anatomic distribution of pedal osteomyelitis and septic arthritis in a large patient group with advanced pedal infection and to compare ulcer location with the distribution of osteomyelitis and septic arthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings were reviewed for 161 feet in 51 women and 107 men (82% of whom had diabetes mellitus) who were suspected of having osteomyelitis and who underwent tissue diagnosis. Location of skin ulceration and presence of osteomyelitis (indicated by means of low T1-weighted signal intensity, high T2-weighted signal intensity, and contrast enhancement) and septic arthritis (indicated by synovial enhancement and adjacent cellulitis) were evaluated by two musculoskeletal radiologists. RESULTS: In the forefoot, osteomyelitis occurred most frequently at the fifth metatarsal (n = 24), first metatarsal (n = 21), and first distal phalanx (n = 15). In the hindfoot, the calcaneus (n = 21) was involved most frequently. Osteomyelitis was directly adjacent to skin ulcers or surgical defects in all cases but one. Spread of osteomyelitis to adjacent bones in the forefoot occurred in 26 (16%) bones. Evidence of septic arthritis on MR images was present in 53 (33%) feet and involved most frequently the fifth (n = 13) and first (n = 8) metatarsophalangeal joints. CONCLUSION: Pedal osteomyelitis results almost exclusively from contiguous infections and occurs most frequently around the fifth and first metatarsophalangeal joints. One-third of patients with advanced pedal infection show evidence of septic arthritis on MR images.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Acute osteomyelitis in children: combined Tc-99m and Ga-67 imaging.

This retrospective study was done to determine the value of combined bone (technetium-99m methylene-diphosphonate) and gallium-67 citrate imaging in selected children with complicated clinical situations. Thirty-one children were evaluated for suspected osteomyelitis by bone scan followed within 4 days by a gallium scan. These 31 children represented a subpopulation in whom the Tc-99m scan is known to be potentially unreliable in diagnosing acute osteomyelitis. Eight children had acute osteomyelitis by strict criteria, while 23 did not. The bone scan successfully identified five of the eight with osteomyelitis but was positive in ten of the other 23. The gallium scan correctly identified all eight with osteomyelitis but was positive in seven of the other 23. The gallium scan was significantly less specific when the suspected lesion was in the extremities compared with central locations; causes of false-positive gallium scans included fracture and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Combined gallium and bone scanning increased accuracy of the scintigraphic diagnosis of acute osteomyelitis. Both tests may, however, be abnormal in conditions other than osteomyelitis. These findings emphasize the importance of correlating all imaging studies in detection of osteomyelitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Chronic osteomyelitis: detection with FDG PET and correlation with histopathologic findings.

PURPOSE: To evaluate use of positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-(fluorine-18) fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) in detection of chronic osteomyelitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients suspected to have chronic osteomyelitis in the peripheral (n = 21) or central (n = 10) skeleton were evaluated prospectively with FDG PET. Analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curve was performed. The final diagnosis was made by means of bacteriologic culture of surgical specimens and histopathologic analysis. RESULTS: FDG PET allowed identification of 17 of 18 patients with osteomyelitis and 12 of 13 without osteomyelitis. There was one false-positive and one equivocal result. The area under the ROC curve was 0.96 for all patients, 1.00 for patients suspected to have osteomyelitis in the peripheral skeleton, and 0.88 for patients suspected to have osteomyelitis in the central skeleton. The overall accuracy of FDG PET was 97% with a high degree of interobserver concordance (kappa = 0.93). The overall sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 92%, respectively. CONCLUSION: FDG PET enables noninvasive detection and demonstration of the extent of chronic osteomyelitis with a high degree of accuracy. Especially in the central skeleton within active bone marrow, FDG PET is highly accurate and shows great promise in diagnosis of chronic osteomyelitis.

Bone and Bones↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Spinal osteomyelitis after TPN catheter-induced septicemia.

Osteomyelitis of the spine is a well-recognized delayed manifestation of septicemia but has not been recognized as a complication of total parenteral nutrition. We report five cases of spinal osteomyelitis that were clinically recognized 1 to 13 months after total parenteral nutrition catheter-induced septicemia. Radiographic evidence of osteomyelitis was seen in all five patients. In three patients, culture of bony aspirates was positive for the same organism as from the blood. In one case, the diagnosis was established by histology, and in one the diagnosis was based on radiographic and radionuclide evidence of osteomyelitis. The organism responsible was Staphylococcus aureus in two cases, Candida albicans in another two cases and C tropicalis in one case. The septic episode that preceded osteomyelitis was treated with systemic antibiotics and catheter removal in four patients, and antibiotics without catheter removal in one patient. Nevertheless, osteomyelitis occurred, requiring bracing or operative debridement as well as prolonged antibiotic therapy. Spinal osteomyelitis may occur as a delayed manifestation of total parenteral nutrition catheter-induced septicemia. Prompt and effective treatment of septicemia is indicated but may not always be sufficient. Clinical suspicion is the key to the correct and early diagnosis of osteomyelitis and therefore to adequate treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Preventive effect of anti-infective reconstituted bone xenograft on osteomyelitis in proximal tibia of the rabbit].

OBJECTIVE: To assess possible beneficial effect in prevention of osteomyelitis by anti-infective reconstituted bone xenograft (ARBX) in the rabbit. METHODS: A proximal tibia osteomyelitis rabbit model was used in which staphylococcus aureus was injected through a bony window, followed by immediate implantation of three ARBX pellets containing 30 mg of slowly-delivered gentamicin in group A, three pellets of RBX in conjunction with intramuscular gentamicin (30 mg) for 5 days in group B, three pellets of RBX without antibiotic in group C. Specimens were harvested 8 weeks postoperatively for gross observation, radiological, histological and bacteriological evaluation, comparing the three groups with regard to the beneficial effect of the above procedures in preventing osteomyelitis. RESULTS: (1) Bacteria counting, modified Norden scoring, and gross and microscopic evidence for osteomyelitis in group B were less than those in group C (P < 0.01). (2) In group A, bacteria culture and counting yielded 0 values at 8 weeks, while radiologically modified Norden scoring for osteomyelitis gave by far the smallest values among all three groups (P < 0.01) with no evidence of osteomyelitis found in gross and histological examinations. CONCLUSIONS: (1) Conventional systemic administration of antibiotics are reasonably effective in prevention of infection, but the anti-infective effect usually is not strong enough to prevent osteomyelitis when used along with primary bone grafting. (2) Apart from its osteoconductive and osteoinductive effects, ARBX is capable of slowly delivering antibiotics, thus being highly anti-infective when administered locally, so it could be used for primary grafting to repair a contaminated bone defect for effective prevention of osteomyelitis.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Osteomyelitis: early scintigraphic detection in children.

The value of scintigraphy in the early detection of osteomyelitis is demonstrated in children who had signs and symptoms suggestive of bone infection. Nine patients between 2 and 13 years of age were evaluated with technetium Tc 99m diphosphonate bone scintigrams and roentgenograms. Blood cultures were performed in all patients, and bone biopsy or drainage was obtained in six patients. The diagnosis of osteomyelitis was made in seven patients; one patient had a subperiosteal abscess surrounded by osteomyelitis, and one patient had cellulitis. The seven children with osteomyelitis had focal increase of radiopharmaceutical uptake in the bone. The child with the subperiosteal abscess had an area of decreased uptake in the center of the abscess surrounded by a zone of increased uptake of the radioactive bone-seeker. The patient with cellulitis had soft tissue changes by X-ray and a normal bone scintigram. In the seven patients with osteomyelitis, the bone scintigram was performed during the early phase of the disease and no bony changes were present on the roentgenogram. In one patient with subacute osteomyelitis, soft tissue changes were seen radiologically. Only three of the seven children with osteomyelitis developed radiological bony changes. Since bone scintigraphy can detect early local bone derangement, it is recommended in the initial evaluation of children in whom osteomyelitis is suspected.

Abscess↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Spiral computed tomography in the diagnosis of limb osteomyelitis].

The results of radiation studies in 121 patients of different age (4 to 75 years) examined for limb osteomyelitis are analyzed. All the patients underwent routine X-ray study and computed tomography (CT), 26 patients had X-ray fistulography; 8, linear tomography; 10, CT fistulography; 6, scintigraphy, and 15, ultrasound study. Acute hematogenous osteomyelitis (AHO), chronic hematogenous osteomyelitis (CHO), and atypical (here Garre's sclerosing osteomyelitis and Brodie's abscess) osteomyelitis were ascertained in 10.6, 26.4, and 10.1% of cases, respectively. Posttraumatic osteomyelitis was diagnosed in almost 50% of the patients. CT defined the phase of chronic limb osteomyelitis. Spiral CT has proven to be the most effective technique for diagnosing limb osteomyelitis as compared with routine X-ray study: the accuracy of X-ray study was 81.8%, its sensitivity, 84.9%, and specificity, 60.0% and those of computed tomography were 96.7, 99.1, and 80.0%, respectively.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Spiral computed tomography in the diagnosis of limb osteomyelitis].

The results of radiation studies in 121 patients of different age (4 to 75 years) examined for limb osteomyelitis are analyzed. All the patients underwent routine X-ray study and computed tomography (CT), 26 patients had X-ray fistulography; 8, linear tomography; 10, CT fistulography; 6, scintigraphy, and 15, ultrasound study. Acute hematogenous osteomyelitis (AHO), chronic hematogenous osteomyelitis (CHO), and atypical (here Garre's sclerosing osteomyelitis and Brodie's abscess) osteomyelitis were ascertained in 10.6, 26.4, and 10.1% of cases, respectively. Posttraumatic osteomyelitis was diagnosed in almost 50% of the patients. CT defined the phase of chronic limb osteomyelitis. Spiral CT has proven to be the most effective technique for diagnosing limb osteomyelitis as compared with routine X-ray study: the accuracy of X-ray study was 81.8%, its sensitivity, 84.9%, and specificity, 60.0% and those of computed tomography were 96.7, 99.1, and 80.0%, respectively.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Radionuclide diagnosis of vertebral osteomyelitis: indium-111-leukocyte and technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate bone scintigraphy.

Seventy-six 111In-labeled leukocyte images performed on 71 patients with possible vertebral osteomyelitis were reviewed. Twenty-eight cases of vertebral osteomyelitis were diagnosed. Vertebral labeled leukocyte activity was normal in 2, increased in 11, and decreased in 15 cases of osteomyelitis. The median duration of symptoms was significantly longer in patients with osteomyelitis and decreased vertebral activity than in patients with osteomyelitis and increased activity (3 mo versus 2 wk; p = 0.019). No significant relationship between the duration of antibiotic therapy and the appearance of vertebral osteomyelitis on leukocyte images was identified (p = 0.62). Increased vertebral activity was highly specific (98%) for osteomyelitis but relatively insensitive (39%). Decreased activity was neither sensitive (54%) nor specific (52%). Seven patients with clinically resolved infection underwent follow-up imaging. Of four patients who initially presented with increased activity, one had normal and three had decreased vertebral activity on follow up studies. All three patients with decreased activity initially had decreased activity on follow-up. Using increased or decreased activity as criteria for infection, the accuracy of leukocyte imaging for diagnosing vertebral osteomyelitis was 66%, similar to that of 99mTc bone imaging (63%) in our population. Leukocyte imaging did however provide important information about extraosseous infection in 12 of the patients studied.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Treatment of osteomyelitis.

The etiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of osteomyelitis are reviewed. Osteomyelitis may result from hematogenous bacterial emboli from a distant source lodging in the bone, the contiguous spread of an adjoining soft-tissue infection, or direct bacterial inoculation secondary to trauma or surgery. Hematogenous osteomyelitis most commonly occurs in children, and it usually is caused by a single organism, Staphylococcus aureus. Adults are most commonly affected by contiguous-spread osteomyelitis, and many infections occur in adults with vascular insufficiency. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common organism, but unlike hematogenous osteomyelitis, multiple organisms (including gram-negative bacteria) generally are involved. Successful treatment is predicated upon accurate classification of the disease, identification of the offending organism(s), surgical debridement if necessary, and prompt initiation of antibiotic therapy. Adults with acute osteomyelitis usually are given a penicillinase-resistant penicillin, ampicillin, or cephalosporin in doses of 8-12 g/day for four to six weeks. Carefully monitored oral drug therapy following initial injectable antibiotic therapy has been shown to be effective in children. Chronic osteomyelitis requires both surgery to remove infected tissue and high-dose injectable antibiotic therapy for four to six weeks; it is recommended that follow-up oral antibiotic therapy be continued for one to two months, or possibly as long as two years. Home antibiotic administration programs, oral antibiotic therapy, and investigational injectable antibiotics with once-daily dosing may allow patients with osteomyelitis who previously were hospitalized for prolonged periods to be treated at home in the future.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1995

Probing to bone in infected pedal ulcers. A clinical sign of underlying osteomyelitis in diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess a bedside technique for diagnosing osteomyelitis. DESIGN: We prospectively assessed infected pedal ulcers for detectable bone by probing with a sterile, blunt, stainless steel probe. We then examined the relationship between detection of bone and the presence or absence of osteomyelitis that was defined histopathologically and/or clinically. SETTING: A tertiary care center. PATIENTS: Seventy-five hospitalized diabetic patients with a total of 76 infected foot ulcers were studied. RESULTS: Osteomyelitis was diagnosed in 50 instances (66%) and was excluded in 26 instances. Bone was detected by probing in 33 of 50 ulcers with contiguous osteomyelitis; in contrast, bone was probed in only four of 26 ulcers without contiguous osteomyelitis (P < .001). Bone detected on probing was visible in only three instances. Palpating bone on probing the pedal ulcer had a sensitivity of 66% for osteomyelitis, a specificity of 85%, a positive predictive value of 89%, and a negative predictive value of 56%. CONCLUSIONS: Palpation of bone in the depths of infected pedal ulcers in patients with diabetes is strongly correlated with the presence of underlying osteomyelitis. If bone is palpated on probing, specialized roentgenographic and radionuclide tests to diagnose osteomyelitis are unnecessary. Probing for bone should be included in the initial assessment of all diabetic patients with infected pedal ulcers.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Fluorine-18-FDG PET and technetium-99m antigranulocyte antibody scintigraphy in chronic osteomyelitis.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of PET with 2-18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG), as compared to immunoscintigraphy (IS) with 99mTc-labeled monoclonal antigranulocyte antibodies (AGAbs), in the detection of chronic osteomyelitis. METHODS: Fifty-one patients suspected of having chronic osteomyelitis in the peripheral (n = 36) or central (n = 15) skeleton were evaluated prospectively with static FDG PET imaging and combined 99mTc-AGAb/99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (MDP) bone scanning within 5 days. FDG PET and IS were evaluated in a blinded and independent manner by visual interpretation, which was graded on a five-point scale of two observers' confident diagnosis of osteomyelitis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed for both imaging modalities. The final diagnosis was established by means of bacteriologic culture of surgical specimens and histopathologic analysis (n = 31) or by biopsy and clinical follow-up over 2 yr (n = 20). RESULTS: Of 51 patients, 28 had osteomyelitis and 23 did not. According to the unanimous evaluation of both readers, FDG PET correctly identified 27 of the 28 positives and 22 of the 23 negatives (IS identified 15 of 28 positives and 17 of 23 negatives, respectively). The area under the ROC curve was 0.97/0.97 (reader 1/reader 2) for FDG PET and 0.87/0.90 for IS, with a high degree of interobserver concordance (K-values were 0.96 for FDG PET and 0.91 for IS). In the central skeleton, the ROC curve area was 0.98/1.00 for FDG PET and 0.71/0.77 for IS (p<0.05). On the basis of ROC analysis, the overall accuracies of FDG PET and IS in the detection of chronic osteomyelitis were 96%/96% and 82%/ 88%, respectively. With regard to the optimal threshold values, sensitivity and specificity were 100%/97% and 95%/95% with FDG PET, compared to 86%/92% and 77%/82% with IS, respectively. CONCLUSION: In the peripheral skeleton, both FDG PET and combined 99mTc-AGAb/99mTc-MDP scanning are appropriate imaging modalities to diagnose chronic osteomyelitis. FDG PET additionally allows reliable differentiation between osteomyelitis and infection of the surrounding soft tissue. In the central skeleton within active bone marrow, FDG PET is highly accurate and superior to AGAb imaging in the diagnosis of chronic osteomyelitis, which frequently presents as a nonspecific photopenic lesion at scintigraphy with labeled white blood cells.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Pneumococcal osteomyelitis and arthritis in children. A hospital series and literature review.

Twenty-nine children with pneumococcal osteomyelitis and/or arthritis, 11 of whom had osteomyelitis, were treated at Cook County Hospital, Chicago, Ill, in the past 20 years. They were mostly normal children with a single focus of infection. They represented more than 5% of the hospitalized children with a systemic pneumococcal infection. Most of the pneumococcal isolates were serotyped; serotype 19, in particular, seemed to be unusually common in these children. Twenty-three of the 29 children with pneumococcal osteomyelitis and/or arthritis had been hospitalized in the past 15 years. These 23 children were compared with 161 hospitalized children who had bone and joint infections with other isolated bacteria. The children with pneumococcal osteomyelitis and/or arthritis were indistinguishable from most of the other children, except by age. All but three of the children with pneumococcal osteomyelitis and/or arthritis were between the ages of 3 and 24 months. In this age group, Pneumococcus was the common isolate from children with osteomyelitis, and second only to Haemophilus influenzae from children with bacterial arthritis. Pneumococcal osteomyelitis and/or arthritis has never been rare; the medical literature describes at least 245 other children, most of whom were younger than 2 years.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A comparative study of osteomyelitis and purulent arthritis with special reference to aetiology and recovery.

We analysed the records of 44 paediatric cases of acute haematogenous osteomyelitis (age 0-14 years) and 25 cases of purulent arthritis (age 0-13 years). The annual incidences were 4.5 and less than two per 100,000 children, respectively. Bacteriologic diagnosis was achieved in 82% of the acute haematogenous osteomyelitis cases and in 40% of the acute purulent arthritis cases. Staphylococcus aureus was responsible for 70% of the proven acute haematogenous osteomyelitis and acute purulent arthritis cases combined, followed by streptococci (20%) and Haemophilus influenzae (7%), which caused only acute purulent arthritis. Acute haematogenous osteomyelitis was localized in the femur in 41% of the cases and acute purulent arthritis in the knee joint in 76%. Surgery (in most cases drilling, fenestration or arthrotomy) was performed on 82% of the acute haematogenous osteomyelitis and on 32% of the acute purulent arthritis patients. Although six of the acute haematogenous osteomyelitis patients (but none of the acute purulent arthritis patients) underwent surgery for a second time, permanent damage, which was functionally non-significant, developed in only 14%. No sequelae were found in the acute purulent arthritis group. The average duration of antimicrobial therapy was 44 days in the acute haematogenous osteomyelitis group and 29 days in the acute purulent arthritis group. The prognosis for the children was similar, irrespective of whether the drugs used were staphylococcal penicillins, ampicillin, lincomycin or clindamycin.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[Osteomyelitis. A pathomorphologic overview].

Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone marrow caused by both non-specific and specific agents. Non-specific endogenic osteomyelitis represents the most frequent form, followed by the specific form caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Typically, the non-specific form occurs in children and young adults, and the sites most frequently affected are the distal and the proximal ends of the tibia and femur. In tuberculosis, osteomyelitis is predominantly located in the vertebral bodies. In rare cases osteomyelitis can be caused by viruses, fungi or echinococcus. It may also occur as so-called acute endogenic osteomyelitis, such as plasmocellular osteomyelitis and Brodie's abscess. Histologically, dense infiltration of leucocytes, granulation tissue and bone sequesters can be seen. In tuberculosis granulomas with central necrosis, epithelioid cells and giant cells of Langhans type are characteristically found. Most forms of acute osteomyelitis can be successfully treated with antibiotics, leading to complete healing without complications. Only a few reported cases develop into a secondary, chronic form.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

[Mandibular involvement in chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) in adulthood].

A 42-year-old patient was admitted to our clinic with the diagnosis of primary chronic osteomyelitis of the mandible. Since the initial manifestation, approximately 9 months earlier, the patient had undergone numerous antibiotic treatment trials. Various tissue specimens exhibited no microbial growth. Computer tomography demonstrated severe sclerotic changes with partly osteolytic areas in the complete right horizontal ramus of the mandible. Decortication was carried out and both soft and hard tissue specimens were taken. Histological assessment revealed slightly sclerotic bone with reactive periosteal bone production, as in chronic non-specific osteomyelitis. Because of progressive pain and paresthesia, a 3-phase skeletal scanning was performed before the planned resection. In addition to an intensive labeling in the right mandible, further intensive lesions were found at the first right rib, the sternum, and the vertebral column. The subsequent magnetic resonance tomography confirmed the infiltration, as seen in osteomyelitis, in all these areas. Under the assumption of chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO), an immunosuppressive therapy with diclofenac and prednisolone was started, which at first brought about complete remission. As CRMO is very rare in our specialty, it might be suspected that it is the cause of some cases of primary therapy-resistant osteomyelitis. The importance of early diagnosis must be underlined, because therapy differs fundamentally from that of the more common bacterial osteomyelitis. A bone scan is therefore of great value in the diagnostic scheme of therapy-resistant osteomyelitis.

Adult↗