[News]Professor Sung-Min Rhee's Team at KHU Hospital Establishes New Classification System for Diagnosing Septic Shoulder Arthritis

A research team led by Professor Lee Sung-min of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Kyung Hee University Hospital has established a new classification system for the diagnosis of septic shoulder arthritis. This achievement was published in the April issue of the 『Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS, IF=4.716)』, the most prestigious journal in the field of orthopedic joint surgery.

The published paper is titled "The Prognostic Value of a Novel Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Classification for Septic Arthritis of the Shoulder."

Currently, the recurrence rate for septic shoulder arthritis is reported to be as high as 50% or more. In most cases of recurrence, reoperation is required. However, because outcomes are often poor, preoperative planning and postoperative management are critically important. Previously, existing classification systems could not categorize the condition prior to surgery; the severity of the infection could only be determined during surgery via arthroscopy.

To address this issue, Professor Rhee Sung-min’s team established and analyzed a total of 5 classification systems based on preoperative imaging data (X-RAY, MRI) from 31 patients treated with arthroscopic irrigation. The results confirmed that the higher the classification stage, the higher the postoperative recurrence rate. Reinfection was confirmed in a total of 54.8% (17 patients), and notably, all patients in the highest stage, where infection was observed to have spread to the bone, experienced reinfection.

Kyung Hee University Hospital Orthopedic Surgery Research Result Image

Professor Rhee Sung-min stated, “We conducted this research to overcome the limitations of the past, where systematic surgical planning was impossible.” He added, “If preoperative imaging analysis indicates a high risk of reinfection, we will apply multidimensional approaches to clinical practice—such as proceeding with open irrigation surgery to thoroughly cleanse the area rather than simple arthroscopic washing—to minimize reoperations and aid in the rapid recovery of patients.”