Tendinopathy and Bursitis

Septic Infrapatellar Bursitis in an Immunocompromised Female

“…In diagnosing septic bursitis, it is important to differentiate from septic arthritis. Patients presenting with septic bursitis—as opposed to septic arthritis—typically do not have any pain with passive range of motion [ 9 ]. Fever is not a strong indicator of septic bursitis, as only 40% of individuals have fever at the time of presentation [ 3 , 9 ].…”

“…In addition to culturing, the white blood cell count in the aspirate can be useful in discerning septic from nonseptic bursitis. The WBC count in septic bursitis is typically much lower than aspirates in septic arthritis, and it is generally agreed that a WBC count of 1000 to 20,000 is indicative of septic bursitis [ 1 , 3 – 5 , 9 , 11 , 13 ]. It is recommended that the aspirate be sent for cell count, culture, gram stain, and crystal analysis [ 17 ].…”

“…Bursitis may be caused by trauma (acute or chronic), inflammation (gout, pseudogout, or rheumatoid arthritis), or infection [ 1 , 6 ]. There have been many associations drawn between various occupations and their predisposition for specific types of superficial bursitis due to chronic, repetitive microtrauma [ 1 , 6 – 9 ].…”

“…Septic bursitis occurs when infectious agents—most commonly bacteria—are introduced to the bursa, typically through trauma, cellulitis, or other skin lesions [ 1 , 4 , 6 , 10 ]. More than half of septic bursitis cases are preceded by trauma [ 3 , 4 , 9 , 11 ]. Due to their anatomical location and relative superficial location, the olecranon and prepatellar bursae are the most common sites of septic bursitis [ 3 , 4 ].…”