Laboratory diagnosis of Prosthetic Joint Infections: Current concepts and present status.

Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a challenging complication of total joint arthroplasty for both a microbiologist and an Arthroplasty surgeon with respect to diagnosis and management. The various investigations used for diagnosis of PJI based on different reference criteria have their own fallacies. Amongst the newer biomarkers evaluated to strengthen the diagnosis of PJI, Alpha defensins has been found to be a useful synovial fluid biomarker. In this review, we have discussed the various laboratory investigations, their benefits and shortcomings for the diagnosis of PJI. Other newer diagnostic methods like molecular methods and modified culture techniques to increase the performance characteristics for the diagnosis of PJI have also been presented.