Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Mimics Infected Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract

Lymphoma associated with total knee arthroplasty is a rare condition. We report a case of non-Hodgkin lymphoma mimicking an infected total knee arthroplasty. A 73-year-old woman who received left total knee replacement presented with fever and a discharging sinus over her left knee 12 weeks after surgery. The diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection was made and a two-stage revision arthroplasty planned. After implant removal and insertion of an antibiotic spacer in the first-stage operation, culture results of all intraoperative specimens were negative but the pathology report showed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. She then received chemotherapy and a second-stage reconstruction operation. The wound healed uneventfully and she regained independent mobility.