Septic arthritis of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist.

Septic arthritis of the shoulder, elbow, or wrist is not commonly described in the literature. We evaluated the micro- biology of these infections and the diagnostic role of joint aspirate findings. This retrospective study includes 52 patients, diagnosed from 1994 to 2004, with septic arthritis of the shoulder (n = 17), elbow (n = 23), or wrist (n = 12).