Articles | Volume 6, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/jbji-6-389-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/jbji-6-389-2021
Case report
 | 
02 Nov 2021
Case report |  | 02 Nov 2021

Sternoclavicular joint septic arthritis in a healthy adult: a rare diagnosis with frequent complications

Rui Barbeiro Gonçalves, André Grenho, Joana Correia, and João Eurico Reis

Related subject area

Subject: Arthritis | Topic: Infectious
Septic arthritis of the knee due to Pantoea agglomerans: look for the thorn
Tobias Koester, Taro Kusano, Henk Eijer, Robert Escher, and Gabriel Waldegg
J. Bone Joint Infect., 6, 51–55, https://doi.org/10.5194/jbji-6-51-2020,https://doi.org/10.5194/jbji-6-51-2020, 2020
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Cited articles

Bar-Natan, M., Salai, M., Sidi, Y., and Gur, H.: Sternoclavicular infectious arthritis in previously healthy adults, Semin. Arthritis Rheum., 32, 189–195, https://doi.org/10.1053/sarh.2002.37284, 2002. 
Fry, D. and Boyle, S.: Sternoclavicular joint septic arthritis: an interesting lesson in clinical anatomy, 2013, bcr2013200673, https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2013-200673, 2013. 
Grunspun, H., Pitta, F. G., Santos, D. do C. B., and Serpa, B. S.: Artrite séptica da articulação esterno clavicular em um adulto previamente saudável, Einstein (São Paulo), 6, 487–490, 2008. 
Kachala, S. S., D'Souza, D. M., Teixeira-Johnson, L., Murthy, S. C., Raja, S., Blackstone, E. H., and Raymond, D. P.: Surgical Management of Sternoclavicular Joint Infections, Ann. Thorac. Surg., 101, 2155–2160, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.2016.01.054, 2016. 
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Short summary
The sternoclavicular joint is an uncommon location for septic arthritis and exceedingly rare in the healthy population. Diagnosis is often delayed by poorly localized symptoms and misdiagnosis, as was observed in our patient and which can result in life-threatening complications. We highlight the importance of proper clinical examination and adequate imaging for diagnosis and identification of its complications, as well as the need for multidisciplinary collaboration during treatment.