# Synovial fluid α-defensin might be false positive in early stages after major total arthroplasty revision surgery

## TL;DR

A patient had repeated false positive results from a synovial α-defensin test for years after a knee surgery, suggesting the test may be unreliable in early post-surgery stages.

## Contribution

This case highlights potential false positives in synovial α-defensin testing after revision arthroplasty, raising concerns about its reliability in early recovery phases.

## Key findings

- A patient received multiple false positive synovial α-defensin test results over nearly three years post-surgery.
- The findings suggest the test may not be reliable in the early stages following revision total knee arthroplasty.

## Abstract

Generalizability is critical when evaluating the performance of a diagnostic test to ensure variations in the patient population are represented. We report a case of a patient receiving multiple false positive results from the synovial
α
-defensin test observed over close to a 3-year period following revision total knee arthroplasty.