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10-Jan-2013
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Arch Hellen Med, 29(6), November-December 2012, 688-694 REVIEW The contribution of implant sonication to the conventional and molecular methods A. Stylianakis,1 A. Tsakris2 |
This is a review of clinical and laboratory aspects of implant associated infections, with an emphasis to the periprosthetic infections. The conventional microbiological methods for diagnosis of these infections are described and the diagnostic contribution of sonication is detailed. Solutions to possible problems related to performance and evaluation of the sonication method are proposed and the application of molecular methods to the sonication fluid samples is described. Sonication of implants by low frequency ultrasound is a simple method with low cost which improves the microbiological diagnosis of implant-associated infections. The combination of the sonication method with molecular techniques may further improve the sensitivity and the efficacy of microbiological diagnosis of implant associated infections.
Key words: Implant-associated infections, Microbiological diagnosis, Multiplex real time PCR, Prosthesis, Sonication, Standard operating procedures.
