Bilateral Septic Hip Epiphyseal Detachment in Children: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Background: Diagnosed and treated fairly early, children’s septic arthritis of the hip has few or no complications. Septic epiphyseal detachment of the hip in children is a rare complication due to delayed treatment. Unilateral forms have been reported, but bilateral involvement has never been described in the literature. Case presentation: We report the case of an 8-year-old girl who presented with hip pain associated fever and diminished lower limb movements, approximately 4 months after the onset of symptoms. The diagnosis of bilateral septic epiphyseal detachment of the hips was made and computerized tomography (CT) scan revealed osteonecrosis of both femoral heads. The necrotic epiphyses required removal in order to control the infection. Conclusion: This report highlights the importance of early diagnosis of septic arthritis of the hip in the neonatal period. Any delay in presentation, diagnosis or management can result in irrecoverable sequelae for the developing hip and seriously impact long-term function. Keywords: Septic arthritis, Bilateral, Epiphysis detachment, Hip, Ablation.