Pre- and peroperative diagnosis of infections in shoulder surgery: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND

is the most commonly detected pathogen during shoulder surgery. Lack of typical infection signs make infections difficult to diagnose. This systematic review aims to determine which pre- and peroperative diagnostic tools are most reliable to identify infections after shoulder surgery.

METHODS

PubMed/Embase were searched for diagnostic studies. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using QUADAS-2. Forest plots summarized results (sensitivity and specificity) for each pre- and peroperative diagnostic tool.

RESULTS

Twenty-two studies were included, of which 8 described preoperative, 10 peroperative, and 4 both pre- and peroperative diagnostic tools. Quality of the studies varied widely. For preoperative tools, synovial calprotectin, interleukin-6, and combined interleukin-6/interleukin-2/tumor necrosis factor-α had the best efficacy measures. Pre-revision biopsies and arthroscopic tissue cultures were the best peroperative tools.

CONCLUSION

Despite a lack of evidence and the use of different infection criteria and reference standards, the use of combined interleukin-6/interleukin-2/tumor necrosis factor-α as preoperative and arthroscopic tissue cultures as peroperative diagnostic tool is for now recommended based on results and validity. More research should be performed to provide valid evidence on these tools. In order to do so, an internationally accepted definition of infections is essential.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Systematic review.