The transmission of disease or infection from the donor to the recipient is always a risk with the use of allografts. We carried out a research study on the behavioural pattern of implanted allografts, which were initially stored in perfect conditions (all cultures being negative) but later presented positive cultures at the implantation stage. Because there is no information available on how to deal with this type of situation, our aim was to set guidelines on the course of action which would be required in such a case. We conducted a retrospective study of 181 patients who underwent an ACL reconstruction using BPTB allografts. All previous bone and blood cultures and tests for hepatitis B and C, syphilis and HIV were negative. An allograft sample was taken for culture in the operating theatre just before its implantation. The results of the cultures were obtained 3-5 days after the operation. We had 24 allografts with positive culture (13.25%) after the implantation with no clinical infection in any of these patients. Positive cultures could be caused by undetected contamination while harvesting, storing or during manipulation before implantation. The lack of clinical signs of infection during the follow-up of our patients may indicate that no specific treatment -other than an antibiotic protocol -would be required when facing a case of positive culture of a graft piece after its implantation.

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Infection following hip arthroplasties can present a diagnostic challenge. No test is 100 % sensitive and 100% specific; this prospective study was undertaken to evaluate the utility of FDG-PET imaging for diagnosing infected joint replacements. 24 hip joint replacements were studied prospectively and we have complete diagnoses with clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory tests, radiography, joint aspiration, radionuclide imaging including FDG-PET, and histopathologic examination. 11 of 24 prostheses were infected. The sensitivity and specificity of PET for detecting infection associated with prostheses were 64.3% and 64.7% respectively, in our study. FDG imaging is not useful in patients with suspected prosthetic infection as a screening test.

The authors present their experience over the last 20 years in limb salvage procedures of a consecutive series of 40 children under 10 years of age (range 2-10 years) with bone sarcomas. Nineteen were osteogenic sarcomas and 21 were Ewing sarcomas. Only one case, located in the distal phalanx of the toe, was treated by straightforward amputation. Intercalary allografts and Canadell's technique were used to preserve joints whenever possible, and prosthesis or osteoarticular allografts were used when the joint surface was involved. Survival rate in this series was 75%. There were four local recurrences. At the last follow-up (mean 11.2 years, range 5-19 years postop), 90% of the patients preserved their limbs. Eighty percent of the authors' results were excellent or good according to the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Scale. Limb salvage is a real possibility even in young children with bone sarcomas. The age of the patient itself is not a contraindication for limb salvage.