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How are antibiotics and surgery used to treat osteomyelitis?
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bone disease
Defect of tibia, caused by septic osteomyelitis in childhood, with compensatory thickening of the fibula (right). Normal bones are shown at left.
Treatment for osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone tissue, focuses on eradicating the infectious organism and addressing damaged bone.
- Antibiotics: The primary treatment typically involves the long-term administration of intravenous antibiotics to combat the infection.1
- Surgery: Surgery is often required to remove dead bone tissue that may have resulted from the infection.1
If the condition is not treated appropriately, it can progress to chronic osteomyelitis, which may lead to extensive bone damage, increased risk of fractures, or, in severe cases, the amputation of the affected limb.1