ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2020
Is Procalcitonin (PCT) a reliable biomarker for preoperative diagnosing of low grade periprosthetic joint infection? A prospective study.
Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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12 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Synovial interleukin-6 point-of-care testing, alone and combined with D-dimer, supports rapid diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2026Article
- Albumin as a predictor of periprosthetic joint infection in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty: a retrospective study.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Article
- Diagnostic accuracy of serum and synovial biomarker thresholds for diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection: a QUADAS-C-guided systematic review and meta-analysis.Arthroplasty (London, England) · 2026Review
- Diagnostic accuracy of alpha-defensin ELISA and lateral flow assays for periprosthetic joint infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of bone and joint infection · 2025Review
- Differences in the Synovial Fluid Proteome of Septic and Aseptic Implant Failure.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Diagnostic value of procalcitonin in patients with periprosthetic joint infection: a diagnostic meta-analysis.Frontiers in surgery · 2024Review
- Periprosthetic Joint Infection Diagnosis: A Narrative Review.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Joint Infection: The Utility of Biomarkers in 2023.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Changes of C-reactive protein and Procalcitonin after four weeks of treatment in patients with pulmonary TB.Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases · 2023Article
- Role of Biomarkers in Periprosthetic Joint Infections.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Metal Artefact Reduction Sequences (MARS) in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) after Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) : A non-invasive approach for preoperative differentiation between periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) and aseptic complications?BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2022Article
- Globulin, the albumin-to-globulin ratio, and fibrinogen perform well in the diagnosis of Periprosthetic joint infection.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSince a "gold-standard" is missing, diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains a challenge in orthopedic surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of serum and synovial fluid Procalcitonin (S-PCT and SF-PCT) as a diagnostic parameter and to compare it to the biomarkers recommended in the 2018 Definition of periprosthetic hip and knee infection.
methodsBetween August 2018 and July 2019, a prospective cohort study was conducted in 70 patients with painful hip, shoulder and knee arthroplasty. Besides medical history, clinical and laboratory data was gathered. PJI was diagnosed based on the 2018 Definition of periprosthetic hip and knee infection. Preoperative blood and synovial joint fluid were taken for PCT measurement. S-PCT and SF-PCT levels were measured using standard quantitative PCT enzyme immunoassays.
resultsTwenty three patients (33%) were classified as the PJI group and fourty seven patient (67%) as the aseptic group. The mean levels of S-PCT were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in the PJI group than those in the aseptic group (PJI 0.05 ± 0.21 ng/mL (0.0-1.03) vs. aseptic 0.02 ± 0.03 ng/mL (0.0-0.18)). In synovial fluid, the mean PCT values in the aseptic group were significantly higher (p < 0.001) than those of PJI group (PJI 2.7 ± 1.4 ng/mL (0.53-9.7) vs. aseptic 8.7 ± 2.5 ng/mL (0.25-87.9)). S- PCT, with a cut-off level of 0.5 ng/mL, had a sensitivity of 13.0% and a specificity of 91.0%. SF-PCT, with a cut-off level of 5.0 ng/mL, had a sensitivity of 13.0% and a specificity of 52.0%.
conclusionS-PCT and SF-PCT appeared to be no reliable biomarkers in the differential diagnosis of PJI from aseptic loosening in total joint arthroplasty.
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