3. Definition
Cellular death of bone components secondary to
interruption of blood supply
Consequent collapse of bone components
Pain, loss of function of joints
Proximal epiphysis of femur most commonly affected
4. Pathophysiology
Interruption of blood flow to bone
Affect bones with single terminal blood supply:
Talus
Carpals, tarsals
Proximal humerus
Proximal femur
Femoral condyles
Bone marrow, medullary bone and cortical bone
necrosis results
Final pathway from multiple causes
5. Predisposing factors
Distance from vascular territory of bone
Enclosed by cartilage limiting vascularity
Endarterioles supply trabelcular bones
6. Pathways to necrosis
Vascular occlusion – direct trauma, stress fracture,
SCD, venous stasis
Intravascular coagulation – hypercoaguable states
Primary cell death – alcohol, steroids, transplant
patients
7. Bone necrosis after 12 – 48 hrs of anoxia
Reactive new bone formation around necrotic bone
Granulation tissue over necrosed bone – sclerosis
Structural failure – subchondral fracture 1st
Segmental collapse dependant on stress and area of
necrosis
11. Presentation - History
Trauma
Corticosteroid use
Alcohol intake
Medical conditions – malignancy, thrombophilia, SLE, SCD
Pain – progressive, severity correlates with size of infarct
Deformity and stiffness – later stages
12. Presentation - examination
Limp
Antalgic gait
Restricted ROM
Tenderness around bone
Joint deformity
Muscle wasting
13. Imaging: X ray
Initially normal upto 3 months
Sclerosis
Flattening
Subchondral radiolucent lines (cresent sign)
Collapse of cortex
OA
14.
15.
16. Imaging: CT scan
Used to assess extent of disease and calcification
Clearly shows articular deformity
Calcification and bone collapse
Central sclerosis in femoral head produces asterix sign
17.
18. Imaging: MRI
90% sensitive
Reduced subchondral intensity on T1 representing
boundary between necrotic and reactive bone
Low signal on T1 and high signal on T2 – reactive zone
(diagnostic)
Changes detected early
19.
20. Radionuclide scan
Donut sign – central reduced uptake with surrounding
rim of increased uptake
More sensitive than plain films in early AVN
Less sensitive than MRI
Necrotic zone surrounded by reactive new bone
formation
21. Histology
Definitive diagnosis
Usually retrospective/confirmatory during surgery for
treatment
Occasionally biopsy of sclerotic lesion
Necrosis of cortical bone is followed by a regenerative
process in surrounding tissues.
Increased osteoclastic activity to remove necrotic bone
and increased osteoblastic activity as a reparative
process
22. Intramedullary pressures
Cannula into metaphysis
Measure at rest and after saline injection
Femoral head:
10 – 20 mmHg, increasing by 15 mmHg after saline
Markedly increased values in AVN (3 to 4 fold)
Less marked increase in OA
23. ARCO Staging
Stage Clinical and radiological findings
0 Asymptomatic, radiology normal, histological diagnosis
I +-symptoms, normal CT and X ray, early changes on MRI
II Symptomatic, bone density changes on X ray, diagnostic MRI findings
III Cresent sign. IIIa - <15% articular surface, IIIb 15 – 30%, IIIc >30%
IV Collapse of head IVa - <15% surface collapsed, IVb 15 – 30%. IVc >30%
V OA – narrowed joint space, acetabular sclerosis, marginal osteophytes
VI Extensive destruction of joint and involved bone
24. Management principles
Early stages (I & II):
Bisphosphonates prevent collapse
Unloading osteotomies
Medullary decompression + bone grafting
Intermediate stage (III & IV):
Realignment osteototmies, decompression
Arthrodesis
Late stage (V & VI):
Analgesia, activity modification
Arthrodesis
Arthroplasties
25. Management - conservative
Offloading affected joints with use of crutches
Immobilisation
Analgesia
Bisphosphonates to delay femoral head collapse
Statins in patients on high dose corticosteroids –
reduced lipid deposition
26. Core decompression
Indicated in ARCO I and II
8 – 10 mm anterolateral core of bone
Filled with bone graft (vascularised/non vascularised)
Decompresses medullary cavity, reduces pain
Cortical (osteoconductive) or cancellous(osteoinductive)
bone graft
Vascularised graft may reverse necrosis
27.
28. Realignment osteotomy
Indicated in ARCO III & IV
Used to relocate necrotic area from weight bearing portion
of femoral head
Angular osteotomies more common
Multiple techniques for holding the fixation
Sugano intertrochanteric rotational osteotomy technically
demanding but higher success rate
29.
30. Arthroplasty
Indicated in ARCO IV onwards
Main aim is pain reduction
Young patients will need revision
Higher failure rates than in OA
Hemi arthroplasty an option
31. Eponymous syndromes
Kienbock’s disease – idiopathic avascular necrosis of
the lunate bone that leads to collapse and progressive
carpal arthritis. PRC as treatment
Legg-Calve-Perthes’s – idiopathic osteonecrosis of
femoral capital epiphysis in children. Treated with
orthotics, traction, surgery to rotate the femoral head
Preiser's disease – idiopathic osteonecrosis of
scaphoid. Collapse with progressive arthritis. PRC,
Excision and fusion,