Diagnostics and treatment of posttraumatic septic costal osteomyelitis

: Results of treatment and diagnostics of 47 patients with posttraumatic septic costal osteomyelitis were analyzed. 26 patients had open and 21 - closed thoracic injuries. Major reasons of osteomyelitis tended to be the initial infection of the bony injury, pleural surgical revision through the initial wound and late medical help by the closed thoracic injuries. Osteomyelitis was diagnosed with the help of and X-ray examination in 14,9%, multispiral computed tomography was informative in 48,4% and scintigraphy demonstrated bone destruction and inflammation in 96,8% of cases. With no depandance from the type of an injury, the most frequent infectious agents were the Staphylococcus aureus (51,2%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (32,5%). Conservative treatment was successful in 26,9% after open injuries and in 42,9% of the blunt thoracic trauma. Wide costal resections were conducted in 73,1% and 52,4% of patients with open and closed injuries, respectively.