Total Hip Arthroplasty for Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head Following Cardiac Transplantation: A Case Report

ABSTRACT

Cardiac transplantation has become the treatment of choice for end stage heart disease, and the long-term survival rates of cardiac transplant patients continue to improve, due to the continued improvements made in operation methods and postoperative immunological therapies. However, the incidences of disabling orthopedic complications, such as, osteopenia, osteoporosis, fractures, and osteonecrosis, have been increased by the postoperative administrations of steroids and immunosuppressive agents. Accordingly, several orthopedic surgeons have evaluated treatments for these complications, and a number of reports have been issued on osteonecrosis after cardiac transplantation. However, all of these reports have been issued is the US and European countries, and in particular, no report has been published on osteonecrosis following cardiac transplantation in an Asian patient. In this report, the authors report the case of a patient who underwent total hip arthroplasty due to osteonecrosis of the femoral head after cardiac transplantation.