Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41287432›Full record

ArticleClinics in shoulder and elbow2025

Diagnostic accuracy of the alpha-defensin lateral flow test in periprosthetic shoulder infection: a retrospective study.

Giuseppe Niccoli, Luca Andriollo, Alberto Polizzi, Flavio Terragnoli, Guido Zattoni, Vincenzo Morea

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Article in Clinics in shoulder and elbow, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Giuseppe NiccoliDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Brescia, Italy.
Luca AndriolloDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Brescia, Italy.
Alberto PolizziDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Brescia, Italy.
Flavio TerragnoliDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Brescia, Italy.
Guido ZattoniDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Brescia, Italy.
Vincenzo MoreaDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Brescia, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aim of this study is to assess the diagnostic value of the alpha-defensin lateral flow (ADLF) test in a group of patients with suspected shoulder periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) and its usefulness and correlation with other diagnostic tests in the decision-making process.

methodsThis retrospective single-center study was conducted between 2018 and 2023. Alpha-defensin was measured using an ADLF test kit. The final diagnosis of shoulder PJI was confirmed or ruled out based on the Musculoskeletal Infection Society criteria.

resultsAfter selecting patients based on the exclusion criteria, the final study group comprised 22 patients. Of all patients, the test was positive in five cases. The ADLF test was false-positive in two patients and was false-negative in zero patients. The test was truly negative in 17 cases, resulting in a sensitivity of 100.00% (95% CI, 100.00%-100.00%) and a specificity of 89.47% (95% CI, 76.65%-102.30%). The positive predictive value was 60.00% (95% CI, 39.53%-80.47%) and the negative predictive value was 100.00% (95% CI, 100.00%-100.00%). The accuracy of the α-defensin test was found to be 90.9%.

conclusionsAlthough this study has limitations such as small sample size and research design, the ADLF test has proven to be a useful diagnostic tool. It can serve as a supplement to traditional tests, providing additional support to orthopedic surgeons in both preoperative and intraoperative diagnosis, especially in its ability to exclude the possibility of a PJI. Level of evidence: III.

Indexed as

Alpha-defensinDiagnostic testLateral flow testPeriprosthetic joint infectionShoulder

Identifiers

PMID41287432
PMCPMC12415436

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.