Sternoclavicular Septic Arthritis in a Patient With End-Stage Liver Disease

Sternoclavicular septic arthritis is an uncommon clinical entity that is often misdiagnosed on initial presentation. It has generally been described in IV heroin users and immunocompromised hosts. We report the case of a 43-year-old woman with end-stage liver disease who presented with a fever, a painful sternoclavicular joint, and gastrointestinal bleeding. The clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of sternoclavicular septic arthritis are reviewed. [Guerra C, Spillane LL: Sternoclavicular septic arthritis in a patient with end-stage liver disease. Ann Emerg Med February 1996;27:264-266.]