[Treatment tactics in postoperative joint infection].

Acute septic arthritis after surgery with limitation to the joint cavity - empyema - can be treated with good prognosis towards functional restoration of the joint by means of early synovectomy, irrigation, systemic antibiotic treatment and passive mobilization, using a motorized mobilization apparatus. If the inflammation has already spread into the capsule or even bone, it can only be wiped out by early arthrodesis with an external fixation system. About 39 infections of the big joints were treated, 10 of them after primary open injuries. All could be healed, except 1 case with concomitant arterial lesion. In 2/3 of the knee-joints and in 1/2 of the ankle-joints it was possible to maintain the function of the joint in a satisfactory condition.