www.osteomyelitis.eu

Bone and joint infections (BJIs) represent one of the most challenging occurrence in orthopaedics and traumatology.

BJIs may occur as haematogenous spreading of bacteria in the blood from a distant septic focus or, more often, following trauma, open wounds or surgical interventions.

Once established, BJIs are particularly difficult to treat and tend to become chronic, with severe function impairment and with a significant worsening of the patient's quality of life.

Treatment usually requires both a medical and surgical approach and is performed in dedicated Centers.

The Center for Reconstructive Surgery and Bone and Joint Infection (C.R.I.O.), at the orthopaedic research Institute Galeazzi, is located in the northern part of Milan, Italy, and is one of the largest providers in Italy and in Europe of treatments dedicated to BJIs.

With a staff composed of trained orthopaedic surgeons, infectivologist, microbiologist, pharmacologist and a dedicated rehabilitation team, the C.R.I.O  department provides medical and surgical treatments ranging from:

- Joint replacement of infected prosthesis (hip, knee, shoulder, ankle, elbow);
- Treatment of non-unions and septic non-unions;
- Treatment of septic arthritis and osteomyelitis;
- Treatment of Infected osteosynthesis (plates, nails, screws, etc.).

As a reasearch Center, the C.R.I.O. department is involved in national as well as European multicenter trials and has been awarded for the best research in the field of bone and joint infections at the annual meeting of the European Bone and Joint Infection Society, held in Heidelberg, Germany, 2-4 September, 2010.

The C.R.I.O. department has beenfounded and is directed by Prof. Dr. Carlo L. Romanò, orthopaedic surgeon, President elect of the European Bone and Joint Infection Society and co-founder and Past-President of the Italian Studygroup on Osteo-articular Infections (Gruppo Italiano di Studio e Terapia delle Infezioni Osteo-articolari).

With more than 500 scientific publicatoin and congress presentations, Prof. C.L. Romanò is particularly committed to research and education in the field of bone and joint infections.