Articles | Volume 10, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/jbji-10-363-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/jbji-10-363-2025
Review
 | 
10 Oct 2025
Review |  | 10 Oct 2025

Serum inflammatory markers for the screening and diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Irene K. Sigmund, Matthew J. Dietz, Marta Sabater-Martos, Antony J. R. Palmer, Nicolas Cortés-Penfield, and the “Serum Marker Workgroup” for the Unified PJI Definition Taskforce

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Cited articles

Aaos: Diagnosis and prevention of periprosthetic joint infections: Clinical practice guideline: https://aaos.org/quality/quality-programs/tumor-infection-and-military-medicine-programs/diagnosis--prevention-of-periprosthetic-joint-infections/, 2019. 
Abou El-Khier, N. T., El Ganainy Ael, R., Elgeidy, A., and Rakha, S. A.: Assessment of interleukin-6 and other inflammatory markers in the diagnosis of Egyptian patients with periprosthetic joint infection, Egypt J. Immunol., 20, 93–99, 2013. 
Ackmann, T., Möllenbeck, B., Gosheger, G., Schwarze, J., Schmidt-Braekling, T., Schneider, K. N., Frommer, A., Dieckmann, R., and Theil, C.: Comparing the Diagnostic Value of Serum D-Dimer to CRP and IL-6 in the Diagnosis of Chronic Prosthetic Joint Infection, Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9, https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9092917, 2020. 
Ahmadi, S., Lawrence, T. M., Sahota, S., Schleck, C. D., Harmsen, W. S., Cofield, R. H., and Sperling, J. W.: Significance of Perioperative Tests to Diagnose the Infection in Revision Total Shoulder Arthroplasty, Arch. Bone Jt. Surg., 6, 359–364, 2018. 
Akgün, D., Müller, M., Perka, C., and Winkler, T.: The serum level of C-reactive protein alone cannot be used for the diagnosis of prosthetic joint infections, especially in those caused by organisms of low virulence, The Bone & Joint Journal, 100-b, 1482–1486, https://doi.org/10.1302/0301-620x.100b11.Bjj-2018-0514.R1, 2018. 
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Short summary
Serum C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, and interleukin-6 show the best performance among serum markers for diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), but they lack sufficient accuracy to confirm or exclude infection reliably. These markers should be re-evaluated in future PJI definitions, as they are not suitable as stand-alone tests. Given their limitations and the superior diagnostic performance of synovial markers, the role of serum markers in PJI diagnosis should be reconsidered.
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