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Thurn, Joseph R.

Mayo Clinic

Minneapolis VA Health Care System

Citations 1

Successful Treatment of Mycobacterium gordonae Sacroiliitis Using a Novel Minimally Invasive Sacroiliac Joint Arthrodesis
Wanderman, Nathan , Thurn, Joseph R., Wyffels, Mitchell, Sembrano, Jonathan N.

JBJS Case Connector | July 14, 2016 | Volume: 6 | Issue: 3 | Pages: e55

10.2106/jbjs.cc.14.00190 Get It

Case: A 43-year-old man with a history of well-controlled HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection presented with sacroiliac joint destruction from a Mycobacterium gordonae infection. A sacroiliac joint arthrodesis was performed using a minimally invasive technique utilizing both biologic fusion (allograft bone with rhBMP-2 [recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2]) and fixation with titanium ingrowth rods. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of infectious sacroiliitis from a nontubercular mycobacterium (M. gordonae) treated with a combination of joint debridement, biologic fusion with bone graft, and nonbiologic functional fusion using titanium ingrowth rods, all performed in a minimally invasive fashion. This strategy effectively alleviated pain and preserved function at 2 years of follow-up.