Preliminary results: continuous double luminal catheter drainage for the management of septic hip arthritis in children.

Septic arthritis in children is considered an orthopedic surgical emergency, which requires prompt intervention to prevent later sequela. In the last decades, several minimal invasive techniques were suggested as an alternative to the standard treatment of septic arthritis in the pediatric hip via open arthrotomy. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of a new minimal invasive technique-double luminal catheter drainage (DLDC)-in treating septic hip arthritis in children. Retrospective case series analysis was performed on all patients 1-18 years of age diagnosed with septic hip arthritis and treated by the new suggested minimal invasive technique between the years 2009-2019 at medium-sized medical center. Five patients were treated by DLDC with a follow-up period of 12 months posttreatment. The diagnosis was based on joint aspirated fluid analysis criteria. During the follow-up period, no later sequel, including avascular necrosis, or infection recurrence were observed. The new minimal invasive treatment technique suggested in this study seems to be efficient and safe in treating septic hip arthritis in children without later sequela or the need for open arthrotomy, especially if performed early on. However, due to the small study sample, no generalization of the findings can be made as future studies with larger study samples are needed to validate the DLDC technique.