Osteomyelitis of the ischiopubic synchondrosis.

Infection of the ischiopubic synchondrosis (IPS) is a diagnostic dilemma. This article reviews four such cases. All patients complained of ipsilateral groin pain, were febrile, and had elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rates. Initial radiographs were interpreted as normal but later showed increasingly lucent zones at the IPS. Radionuclide bone scans demonstrated diffusely increased uptake in the vicinity of the IPS. This contrasts with the discrete pattern seen with a normal IPS. Blood cultures were positive. Satisfactory outcomes were obtained with conservative treatment. Clinical presentation, laboratory results, radiographs, and bone scans must be correlated to distinguish this syndrome from a "normal radiologic variant".