Septic Arthritis of the Hip and Intrapelvic Abscess Following Intra-Articular Injection of Hylan G-F 20

Since the results of intra-articular injections of corticosteroid and local anesthetic for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis were published1, these injections have been used to treat symptoms of degenerative arthritis that are refractory to more conservative modalities. In the past decade, on the basis of evidence showing improvement in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, viscosupplementation with hyaluronic acid and cross-linked hyaluronans was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration as a medical device for use in the treatment of osteoarthritis2. However, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of viscosupplementation in the hip. We report a case of septic arthritis of the hip with an intrapelvic abscess following injections of corticosteroid and hylan G-F 20 (Synvisc) for symptomatic treatment of advanced degenerative arthritis of the hip secondary to osteonecrosis. The patient was informed that data concerning the case would be submitted for publication.