Avascular Necrosis Treatment
Avascular necrosis refers to bone death caused by a loss of blood supply to the bone. When undiagnosed and untreated, the bone becomes fragile and can collapse. This results in debilitating osteoarthritis. While avascular necrosis typically affects the hip, it can occur in the shoulder, knee, elbow, wrist, foot, or ankle.
There is no cure for avascular necrosis, but if it's diagnosed early using X-rays or MRI, nonsurgical treatments such as activity modification, anti-inflammatory medications, injections, and physical therapy may slow its progression. Because avascular necrosis is a progressive condition, it often requires surgery.
Core Decompression
Diseased tissue is removed from the bone affected by AVN. This eliminates pain and promotes growth of new bone tissue and blood vessels. This procedure is for early stage AVN.
Bone Graft
A section of healthy bone is removed from one part of the body -- or taken from a cadaver -- and used to replace the damaged bone. Blood flow is restored to promote healing.
Free Vascularized Fibular Grafting
Dead bone tissue in the hip’s femoral head is removed and replaced with healthy bone (usually taken from the fibula). The blood supply is restored by reconnecting the blood vessels in the hip bone.
Total Joint Replacement
Tissue damaged by AVN is removed and replaced with an artificial joint, or prosthesis, made from metal, plastic, or ceramic.