Septic sacroiliitis in the post-partum period with haematogenous spread

Abstract

Pelvic pain is a very common gynaecological complaint especially during the puerperium. It is rarely associated with development of septic sacroiliitis or haematogenous spread to other sites within the body. The case below demonstrates a 30 year old female 10 days post-partum presenting with left hand cellulitis secondary to development of septic sacroiliitis. Her case supplements a small cohort of reports among literature identifying septic arthritis in the postpartum period, recognises the delay to diagnosis and increased morbidity of this condition.

Keywords: Episiotomy; Postpartum; Pregnancy; Sacroilliitis; Septic arthritis.

Fig. 1

(a) Post-treatment MRI coronal section imaging showing septic sacroiliitis and associated collection. (b) Post-treatment MRI coronal section imaging showing almost complete resolution of collections.