Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease Misdiagnosed as Relapse of the Infection after Treatment of Periprosthetic Hip Joint Infection

Abstract

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) of the hip can be difficult to treat and can lead to a number of problems including: i) severe functional decline of the hip joint and ii) increasing financial burden for patients due to long treatment periods and the need for repeated surgical interventions. Because there is risk of inadequate control of infection or relapse of a preexisting infection following the treatment of PJI through surgery, it is important to closely observe clinical symptoms such as systemic fever. Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease is usually a self-limiting disease characterized by fever and cervical lymphadenopathy. We report one case of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease, with literatures review, that was mistaken for an infection relapse after surgical treatment of the PJI due to sustained fever postoperatively.

Take a Second Look: It's Kikuchi’s Disease! A Case Report and Review of Literature

“…KFD has been misdiagnosed as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, tuberculosis or relapsing infections and patients have occasionally received aggressive, inappropriate courses of treatments based on false diagnoses. 8,19,20…”