What Researchers Did
Chinese surgeons reported a case of mandibular osteomyelitis in a 33-year-old woman that developed one year after hyaluronic acid filler injection to the chin, treated with antibiotics, debridement, negative pressure wound therapy, and HBOT without improvement until surgical curettage of necrotic bone.
What They Found
Despite antibiotics, debridement, negative pressure wound therapy, and HBOT, the patient continued to deteriorate. CT imaging revealed bone destruction, sequestrum formation, and tissue calcification. Surgical curettage of necrotic bone ultimately resolved the infection.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
This rare case of injection-site osteomyelitis suggests that HBOT alone is insufficient when infected necrotic bone is present, and that surgical debridement remains essential. Canadian patients experiencing persistent infection after filler injection should seek early specialist assessment.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified. Cosmetic filler injections are increasingly common in Canada; this case is a reminder that serious bone infections, though rare, can follow filler procedures and require aggressive surgical management.
Study Limitations
A single case report; no control condition, and HBOT may not have had a fair trial given the presence of infected necrotic bone that required surgical removal.