Introduction
Osteomyelitis is an inflammatory bone condition caused by infection, which can be acute or chronic. Acute osteomyelitis typically presents with pain, fever, and localized swelling within days to weeks of infection. It most commonly affects long bones.¹
Sternal osteomyelitis is rare, usually associated with thoracic surgery, and predominantly caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Other organisms like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Candida albicans are implicated in specific populations.²˒³ Management often involves antibiotics and, occasionally, surgical debridement.¹
Here, we report a case of primary sternal osteomyelitis in a 14-year-old boy, successfully managed with a conservative approach in a rural hospital in Nepal.