Abstract
Children and adolescents have the tendency to develop osteomyelitis in metaphyseal sinusoids because turbulent blood flow increases the probability of bacterial growth. Osteomyelitis in children is frequently misdiagnosed owing to lack of symptoms and specific findings from laboratory tests. Without rapid antibiotic treatment of osteomyelitis, complications such as subperiosteal abscesses may occur. We describe a 13-year-old boy who underwent irrigation and debridement to treat a subperiosteal abscess of the right distal radius and ulna, caused by acute osteomyelitis. After debridement, the patient was placed on a continuous 6-week course of nafcillin infusion through a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC). The patient’s condition notably improved in the 2-, 6-, 10-, and 18-week follow-ups. Use of PICC to deliver antibiotics after irrigation and debridement may be clinically effective within certain pediatric populations.
Recommended Citation
Haponyuk, Anastasiya K. and Deana M. Mercer. "Subperiosteal Abscess of the Distal Radius in a 13-Year-Old Boy: A Case Report." UNM Orthopaedic Research Journal 7, 1 (2018). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/unm_jor/vol7/iss1/26
