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Previous Volume 329:1013-1020 September 30, 1993 Number 14 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Acute pain and swelling in a joint always require immediate evaluation. Although there are many other less-threatening causes of monoarthritis, inadequately treated infectious arthritis carries a risk of prolonged morbidity and even mortality. If untreated, some infections can destroy cartilage in as little as one to two days¹. In this report we shall review the causes of acute monoarthritis and present an updated approach to diagnosis and treatment that should facilitate prompt identification of the patients requiring the most urgent and aggressive care.

Differential Diagnosis of Acute Monoarthritis

The important conditions to be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute monoarthritis are listed in . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Infection

Crystal-Induced Arthritis

Osteoarthritis, Trauma, and Foreign-Body Reactions

Hemarthrosis

Prosthetic-Joint Involvement

Miscellaneous Diseases

Approach to Patients with Acute Monoarthritis

History

Physical Examination

Arthrocentesis and Synovial-Fluid Analysis

Synovial Biopsy and Arthroscopy

Problems and Opportunities in Management

Monoarthritis as a Clue to Systemic Disease

Source Information

From the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center (D.G.B., H.R.S.), the Medical College of Pennsylvania (D.G.B.), and the University of Pennsylvania (H.R.S.) -- all in Philadelphia.

Address reprint requests to Dr. Schumacher at the Rheumatology Immunology Center, Arthritis Research 642 151K, Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University and Woodland Aves., Philadelphia, PA 19104.

References

Related Letters:

Acute Monoarthritis
Canoso J. J., Schumacher H. R., Baker D. G.
Extract | Full Text  
N Engl J Med 1994; 330:221-222, Jan 20, 1994. Correspondence

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