Abstract
Postoperative infections of the knee are uncommon but may occur with joint arthroplasties,
fracture fixation, or after arthroscopic procedures. The ultimate diagnosis is made
by joint aspiration or tissue sampling. Joint aspiration and tissue sampling can be
performed under imaging guidance or intraoperatively. Imaging is an important adjunct
to clinical and laboratory findings and should start with radiographs. Cross-sectional
imaging including magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, computed tomography (CT), nuclear
studies, and ultrasound (US) are frequently used if the diagnosis is in doubt and
to evaluate the extent of disease. We discuss the current algorithm in the diagnosis
of various postoperative infections of the knee joint. The article addresses the utility
of radiography, MR imaging, CT, US, and the most commonly used nuclear studies in
the diagnosis of various postoperative knee infections and the imaging appearances
of these infections on each of these diagnostic modalities.
Keywords
knee - joint - postoperative - infection - imaging
