Diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infections in clinical practice

The diagnosis of a periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) can be challenging, either because of the variable clinical presentation or because of previous antimicrobial treatment interfering with the detection of the pathogen. In recent years, various means to diagnose PJI have been analyzed. These include invasive and non-invasive laboratory tests, imaging procedures, and novel techniques such as sonication of implants and the use of molecular microbiology. In this review, both established and novel diagnostic procedures are presented. An algorithm for detecting PJI in patients with acute and chronic symptoms is proposed.