Postoperative Lyme Arthritis in the Orthopaedic Patient

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in North America and Europe, and Lyme arthritis is a frequent late-stage manifestation in the United States. However, Lyme arthritis has rarely been reported as a postoperative complication. The PubMed database was queried through June 2018, and restricted to the English language, in search of relevant articles. Clinical review. Level 3. A total of 5 cases of Lyme arthritis as a postoperative complication have been reported in the literature. These cases highlight the importance for providers practicing in Lyme-endemic regions to keep such an infection in mind when evaluating postoperative joint pain and swelling. We propose herein an algorithm for the workup of potential postoperative Lyme arthritis.