title: [Treatment of a recalcitrant hip infection with a vastus lateralis muscle flap].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recalcitrant hip infection after arthroplasty presents a reconstructive challenge to orthopedic surgeons. The aim of this study is to evaluate the results with a vastus lateralis muscle flap used to treat these recalcitrant hip infections in our Department.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective descriptive study was conducted on five patients with deep hip infections by transposition of the vastus lateralis muscle flap. Average age: 70.5 years. Mean follow-up: 30 months (range, 25-34 months). All patients had previously undergone other major surgical procedures (mean of 3.7 previous procedures). All had multiple microbial infections before surgery. The pathogens involved using cultures of the fistula, the outcome of the wound and laboratory results, including C-reactive protein (CRP), were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Healing was achieved in the five patients who underwent surgery without requiring any further procedures or inflammatory signs of infection. CRP returned to normal one month after surgery, and there was no morbidity or mortality related to surgical technique.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our experience, the vastus lateralis muscle flap as a treatment for recalcitrant deep infection after arthroplasty has presented good results, provided there is appropriate antibiotic therapy and surgical debridement, thus achieving wound healing and a return to normal of the CRP.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Cirugía Ortopédica y Traumatología, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, España. gerveta@yahoo.es
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Rosales
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Cebrián-Parra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Francés-Borrego
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marco-Martínez
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: López-Durán Stern
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D003646:Debridement; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D052097:Quadriceps Muscle / Q000601:surgery*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome