Histopathology of Bone and Joint Infections

This book focuses on histopathological features of bone and joint infections. Bone and joint infection is a serious health problem that has increased in the past two decades. Their diagnosis requires the collaboration of physicians, radiologists, microbiologists and pathologists. Symptoms of these lesions are nonspecific often resulting in a delayed diagnosis. Radiology is needed for the diagnosis of bone and joint infection, determining the severity and extent of disease. The radiological diagnosis of these infections is challenging because of multiple overlaps with tumor etiologies. Effective antibiotic treatment relies on the detection of the causative organisms and its their susceptibility testing. However, culture is time consuming. Besides, administering antibiotics prior to performing surgery or biopsy, the low virulent bacteria, tissues contaminations and sampling errors limit the reliability of bone culture. Histology is a key tool for the diagnosis of bone and joint infection by evaluating the tissue reaction pattern caused by the pathogen. The histopathological diagnosis is based on the evaluation of the tissue changes and the leukocyte infiltration pattern. The purpose of this book will be to report in detail the histopathological features of bone and joint infections with emphasis on key diagnostic features and differential diagnoses. It will also highlight special stain and other ancillary tests that can be used as an aid in the histological diagnosis.