Summary
Chronic osteomyelitis continues to represent a challenge both for patients and the treating physician, especially in the presence of multiple germs. This literature review assesses the current role of the indications of bioactive glass, including studies about patients with chronic osteomyelitis that were treated with S53P4.
After the exclusion of case reports, 7 studies were included in the narrative review. Recurrence of infection was defined as the main outcome parameter. Six of 7 studies were retrospective, or case studies with a relatively small sample size (total patient number N= 274). The overall recurrence rate was 10.6%. Studies that compared the outcome of the treatment with S53P4 versus antibioticloaded polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) revealed no significant difference. The data reviewed indicate that in cases of multiple bacteria and resistance to antibiotic treatment, bioglass may be a valuable treatment alternative to other forms of spacers (e.g., PMMA).
