In this episode, we review osteomyelitis, a serious infection of bone that can progress to necrosis and chronic sequestrum formation if not treated promptly. We break down the pathophysiology of bone infection, common risk factors such as diabetes and IV drug use, and key differences between acute and chronic disease. The discussion highlights diagnostic strategies—including why MRI is the most sensitive early imaging modality and why bone biopsy remains the gold standard—along with evidence-based antibiotic and surgical management.

References

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2) Nimmana BK, Savaliya V. Osteomyelitis. [Updated 2023 May 31]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532250/

3) Bury DC, Rogers TS, Dickman MM. Osteomyelitis: Diagnosis and Treatment. Am Fam Physician. 2021 Oct 1;104(4):395-402. PMID: 34652112.

4) Éric Senneville, Zaina Albalawi, Suzanne A van Asten, Zulfiqarali G Abbas, Geneve Allison, Javier Aragón-Sánchez, John M Embil, Lawrence A Lavery, Majdi Alhasan, Orhan Oz, Ilker Uçkay, Vilma Urbančič-Rovan, Zhang-Rong Xu, Edgar J G Peters, IWGDF/IDSA Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Diabetes-related Foot Infections (IWGDF/IDSA 2023), Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2023;, ciad527, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciad527