Clinical significance of bone marrow edema in patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head / 中华放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the correlation between bone marrow edema (BME), the amount of joint fluid and clinical symptoms in order to strengthen further understandings about clinical significance of BME in osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Methods Fifty-seven patients (91 hips) with ONFH proved by clinical follow-up or pathology were examined by conventional radiography, 1.5 T MRI, and radionuclide imaging. BME, necrotic area, and joint fluid were analyzed respectively in ONFH with pre- or post-collapse of the femoral head and different MR signal intensities within necrotic area.Results ①The characteristic “line-like sign” appeared on MRI in 88 of 91 affected hips, and BME was seen in the distal zone away from line(s) in 61 hips, extending to the femoral neck and intertrochanteric region. ②The ratio of the occurance of BME in the collapse was greater than that in noncollapse, and in mixed signals within necrotic area without collapse greater than pure fat-like signal (P0.05), and both were greater than noncollapse without BME (P