'Pointing' in the wrong direction--a case of diverticulitis presenting at the hip.

Abstract

We report the case of a 73-year-old lady who was seen with an infected sinus leaking from the wound of a recently inserted right total hip joint prosthesis. Plain radiographs revealed gas shadows in the region of the wound. An intra-operative sinogram showed the sinus to be coming from a pelvic diverticular abscess and the hip to be an innocent bystander. Our case emphasises the importance of having a clear preoperative plan with relevant investigations before a radical operative procedure is undertaken, to avoid unnecessary risk to a non-infected hip prosthesis.