ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Animal experiments have shown that bisphosphonates exhibit a preventive effect on femoral head collapse. However, clinical application of bisphosphonates remains disputed. Systematic administration of bisphosphonates has many adverse reactions. There is an increasing number of studies on local application of bisphosphonates. OBJECTIVE: To review the research progress of bisphosphonates in the treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head. METHODS: The first authors (GJC and MJH) searched PubMed and CNKI databases to retrieve papers regarding bisphosphonate treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head using the search terms “osteonecrosis of the femoral head, bisphosphonates, systemic therapy, topical therapy, osteogenesis, bone destruction, bone remodeling” in English and Chinese. Sixty-two eligible papers were included in the final analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: It remains disputed whether bisphosphonates inhibit or activate osteoblasts. Current studies have shown that low concentration of bisphosphonates can promote the proliferation of osteoblasts, while high concentration of bisphosphonates can inhibit the proliferation of osteoblasts. Long term systematic application of bisphosphonates can induce mandibular osteonecrosis and other side effects. Topical application of bisphosphonates for treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head is still in the experimental stage. The optimal bisphosphonate concentration and the duration of efficacy in the treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head have not been determined. These should be clarified by in-depth high-quality experiments prior to clinical application.