Porous bioceramic beta-tricalcium phosphate for treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:It is a clinical difficult in the treatment of osteonecrosis with joint preservation, and to solve this problem, a variety of bone graft substitutes are at the exploration stage. OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the clinical outcome of lightbulb operation with porous bioceramic β-tricalcium phosphate in a consecutive series of patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head. METHODS:From January to December 2008, 58 patients (88 hips) who had undergone lightbulb operation with porous bioceramic β-tricalcium phosphate were involved in this study. Al patients were evaluated both clinicaly and radiographicaly at postoperative 3, 6, 12 months and annualy. Functional improvement was assessed with the Harris hip score. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Among these patients, 56 patients (85 hips) were folowed up for 2-5 years. According to the ARCO staging system, there were 27 hips of stage II, 40 hips of stage IIIa, 18 hips of IIIb. According to the hospital’s classification, type C was in 4 hips, L1 in 15 hips, L2 in 28 hips, and L3 in 38 hips. According to the Harris hip score system, excelent outcome was in 55 hips, good in 12 hips, fair in 5 hips and poor in 13 hips. Nine of 11 patients who failed to preserve their own joints were subjected to hip replacement. The  mean preoperative and postoperative Harris scores were 61.2 and 85.3, respectively, with a mean improvement of 24.1 points (P < 0.001). All hips were radiologically stable, with no progress of osteonecrosis, and bone density in the bone graft area increased obviously. The replacement time of porous bioceramic β-tricalcium phosphate was 1-1.5 years. These findings suggest that the porous bioceramic β-tricalcium phosphate provides an option to treat osteonecrosis of the femoral head with satisfactory clinical outcomes, and profits the repair and reconstruction of femoral head osteonecrosis. When in the lateral column of femoral head, the porous bioceramic β-tricalcium phosphate can play a supporting role in the lateral column of the necrotic area, and further prevent collapse, which is suitable for patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head, especially for those with joint preservation.