Comparison of bacterial growth in sonication fluid cultures with periprosthetic membranes and with cultures of biopsies for diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection

Total joint arthroplasty is a common operation worldwide with infection rates between 1% and 3%. In cases of suspected periprosthetic joint infection, it is very challenging to rule out the causative microorganisms. In this study, we compared the appearance of periprosthetic membranes with the microbiological results obtained from cultures of sonication fluid and the correlation between classical microbiological cultures and cultures of sonication fluid. The results confirmed a strong correlation of bacterial growth in sonication fluid cultures with bacterial growth in classical microbiological cultures. Most importantly, however, our study documented a highly significant correlation of periprosthetic membranes typical for periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) with bacterial growth in sonication fluid. Sonication fluid cultures yielded a better sensitivity than tissue cultures (72.34-60.87%). These 3 methods are useful tools in diagnosing PJIs, and even more, sonication fluid cultures should be included in the diagnostic path of PJI.