Preoperative Aspiration Culture (PAC) for the Diagnosis of Infection in a Prosthetic Knee Joint

Abstract

Background: Periprosthetic infection is the most serious joint replacement complication, occurring in 0.8-1.9% of total<br />knee arthroplasties (TKAs).<br />This review aims to define the role of preoperative aspiration culture (PAC) for diagnosis of TKA infection.<br />Methods: A PubMed (MEDLINE) search related to TKA infection and PAC was analyzed. The main criteria for selection<br />were that the articles were focused in the aforementioned question.<br />Results: Twenty articles were found, but only fourteen were selected and reviewed because they were deeply<br />focused on the topic. PAC has shown an average sensitivity of 67.6% (range, 28% to 100%) and an average<br />specificity of 98.4% (range, 96% to 100%).<br />Conclusion: PAC has moderate to high sensitivity and very high specificity for diagnosing TKA infection.<br />Level of evidence: III