
"Leukergyā€¯: The Simple Albeit
Forgotten Test for Bone Infections
1219-1222
Correspondence
Dr Sudeep Shetty
Department of Orthopaedics,
AJ Institute of Medical Sciences, Kuntikana,
Mangalore, India - 575004.
Phone: 09845515659; Fax: 0824-2225541
drsudeepshetty@yahoo.com
Background:
Acute infections of the bone and joints with overt signs of inflammation, sinus formation and systemic illness are relatively easy to diagnose, but the low grade infections are the more difficult ones.In the presence of normal clinical parameters like ESR, total WBC count, C-reactive protein and blood culture but with a clinical possibility of an infection, a positive leukergy plays an important role in the diagnosis and the management of bone and joint and soft tissue infections.
Aim of the Study:
To know the validity of leukergy in diagnosing of bone and joint infections, to compare and correlate leukergy with other clinical parameters, and also, to use leukergy for the premature diagnosis of low grade infections without any obvious clinical signs.
Materials and Methods:
Sixty patients with bone or joint infections underwent evaluation for the Total White Blood Cell Count (TWBCC), ESR, C-reactive protein (CRP), blood culture, X-rays of the affected parts, wound culture and for the leukargy agglomerate test of the peripheral blood. The percentage of the aggregated leukocytes on the slide was determined and clinical and laboratory grading was done.
Results:
The leukergy test was found to be positive in all the 60 patients who were studied, thus reflecting one hundred percent positivity, with ESR being the second (68%) other than clinical parameter which was studied.
Conclusion:
We conclude that leukergy is more specific in detecting infections as compared to other laboratory tests like ESR, total white cell count, blood culture or the C-reactive protein.