Comparison of various surgical methods in the treatment of implant-related infection

The treatment of implant-related infections is troublesome. This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of three different surgical modalities in the treatment of implant-related infection. A total of 32 Wistar albino rats were randomised into four groups after the establishment of implant-related infection: no treatment, surgical debridement, antibiotic-loaded bone cement and antibiotic-loaded autogenous bone. Microbiological colony counts were made at the sixth week in order to evaluate the effectiveness of of the treatments. The antibiotic-loaded bone cement group revealed superior results compared with the other groups in terms of reduction of microbiological colonies. Three animals in the bone cement group revealed extensive infection. Although antibiotic-loaded bone cement showed superiority over other treatment modalities, it should be employed after an unsuccessful trial of debridement because of the risk of extensive infection.