Background: It is generally accepted that surgery is necessary for the proper treatment of chronic haematogenous osteomyelitis (HO) in children. However, the correct timing of surgery and the technique most effective for debridement of infectious bone tissue is debated. Theoretically, large animal models of HO can be used for refinement and testing of surgical protocols. We report, to our knowledge for the first time, a porcine model of HO exposed to surgical treatment together with our surgical experiences with Angolan children suffering from chronic HO.
Materials and methods: Surgically-debrided bone tissue from the children and pigs were analyzed microbiologically and histopathologically together with the entire operated bones from the pigs.
Results: It was illustrated that surgical intervention on porcine bones with experimentally-induced HO is representative of the handling of the condition in children. The porcine HO model can easily be used for refinement and application of surgical techniques used in order to cure children with HO.