Septic arthritis of the hip secondary to acute cholangitis: A case report

Septic arthritis of the hip is more commonly seen in children than in adults(1) and can result from septicemia,(2) local spreading from adjacent osteomyelitis(3,4) or soft-tissue infection,(5,6) direct inoculation from trauma,(7,8) atopic dermatitis,(9) or after an orthopedic procedure. Many debilitating conditions, such as alcoholism, diabetes Mellitus, (11,12) osteoarthritis,(13) rheumatoid arthritis,(14) chronic liver or renal disease, poor nutrition, or an immunocompromised condition can predispose a patient to septic arthritis. Acute cholangitis complicated by septic arthritis of the hip in an adult has not been found in the medical literature. We present female patient with diabetes who developed septic arthritis of the hip after acute cholangitis. Resection of the femoral head was performed, followed by total hip arthroplasty 1 year later. The patient has had a satisfactory recovery 4 years after surgery.