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INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Candida arthritis is a very rare disease and Candida parapsilosis infection of the native knee joint is extremely rare. It is challenging to diagnose and treat because the clinical manifestations, laboratory and radiologic findings are not specific and not well defined. We report the rare case of C. parapsilosis infection of the native knee joint. CASE PRESENTATION: A 67-year-old man visit outpatient clinic for persistent right knee pain and effusion. Inflammatory markers were elevated and the biochemical studies of joint fluid showed elevated WBC counts. Under assumption of septic arthritis, arthroscopic irrigation and debridement were performed. C. parapsilosis was isolated on intraoperative knee joint culture. Fluconazole was used under diagnosis of Candida arthritis. Once there were no relapse of infection, total knee arthroplasty was implemented. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: As Candida arthritis can be lead to poor prognosis, Candida arthritis should be considered in patients with untreated knee infections. Blood and radiographic examination, and fungus culture from the knee joint should be accompanied for early diagnosis. Total knee arthroplasty may be considered after treatment of Candida infection with fluconazole. Prognosis was similar compared with patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty for primary knee osteoarthritis. CONCLUSION: If patients complaint persistent knee pain with or without effusion, surgeons should consider the possibility of Candida infection. After diagnosis of Candida arthritis, proper antifungal agents should be used for treatment of infection. After the infection has cleared up, total knee arthroplasty can be planned.
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BACKGROUND: Symptomatic postoperative spinal epidural hematoma (PSEH) is a devastating complication that could develop after lumbar decompression surgery. PSEH can also develop after biportal endoscopic spine surgery (BESS), one of the recently introduced minimally invasive spine surgery techniques. Gelatin-thrombin matrix sealant (GTMS) is commonly used to prevent PSEH. This study aimed at analyzing the clinical and radiological effects of GTMS use during BESS. METHODS: A total of 206 patients with spinal stenosis who underwent decompression by BESS through a posterior interlaminar approach from October 2015 to September 2018 were enrolled in this study. Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in all patients for evaluation of PSEH. Patients in whom GTMS was not used during surgery were assigned to Group A, and those in whom GTMS was used were classified as Group B. In the clinical evaluation, the visual analog scale (VAS) of the leg and back, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and modified MacNab criteria were used. The incidence rate and degree of dural compression of PSEH on postoperative MRI were measured. RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 68.1 ± 11.2 (42-89) years. The overall incidence rate of PSEH was 20.9% (43/206). The incidence rates in Groups A and B were 26.4% and 13.6%, respectively, showing a significant difference (p = 0.023). The VAS-leg and ODI improvement was significantly different depending on the intraoperative use of GTMS. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of the VAS-back improvement. Groups A and B showed "good" and "excellent" rates according to the modified MacNab criteria in 79.4% and 87.6% of patients, respectively, showing statistically significant difference (p = 0.049). In Group A, two patients underwent revision surgery due to PSEH, while none in Group B had such event. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative use of GTMS during BESS may be related to reduction in the occurrence rate of PSEH. Specifically, patients with GTMS appliance showed marked decrease in the occurrence of PSEH and had better clinical outcomes.