"Domino" Therapy Treat the Infection Around the Prosthesis After the Limb Salvage Surgery of Bone Tumor

Malignant bone tumors are associated with high mortality and disability rates. Developments over the past 20 years have made tumor resection and prosthetic replacement the preferred surgical treatments. Prosthetic reconstruction maintains the continuity of limb bones and leads to better joint function, but is often associated with complications such as loosening, fracture, and infection of the prosthesis. Among these, infection is the most important cause of failed limb salvage surgery. Postoperative infection rates of 5-25% have been reported in the literature. Infection is also the main cause of secondary amputation. Therefore, it is important to address infections around the prosthesis after limb salvage.

Investigators retrospectively analyzed the use of prosthesis-preserving sequential therapy to treat patients with peripheral prosthesis infections after bone-tumor limb salvage. Investigators summarized and analyzed the treatment processes and performed laboratory, imaging, and functional evaluations after treatment. The purpose was to introduce a new type of domino sequential treatment plan for treating postoperative infections of tumor prosthesis, and evaluate the technical points of the plan, and prognosis over medium- and long-term follow-ups.

Inclusion criteria

• Deep postoperative infections after replacement of a tumor-type prosthesis according to the 2011 diagnostic criteria of the Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) ;
• Treated with debridement and lavage with prosthesis preservation, local application of antibiotics, and no loosening during intraoperative exploration;
• With complete data for the main indicators (routine blood test results, C-reactive protein [CRP] level, erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR], X-ray and CT scans of the surgical site, and the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society [MTST] score).

Exclusion criteria

• Underwent debridement without prosthesis preservation;
• With a loose prosthesis during intraoperative exploration;
• With poor soft tissue coverage, such that complete free muscle flap coverage could not be achieved; patients with renal insufficiency/failure (serum creatinine ≥ 2.0 mg/dL); patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (hemoglobin A1c level > 8%);
• In poor general condition who could not tolerate surgery.