Three cases of septic arthritis of the hip are presented. In each case, radionuclide bone scanning, using 99Tcm diphosphonate (MDP), demonstrated complete photopenia of the femoral head. All three cases resulted in avascular necrosis and subsequently had a poor clinical outcome with a reduced range of movement and radiographic epiphyseal deformity. Complete photopenia in the presence of suspected sepsis requires urgent referral with a view to exploration and decompression.
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