Joint Preserving Non-surgical Treatment of Osteonecrosis of Femoral Head / 대한고관절학회지

ABSTRACT

A patient and physician initially consider how to preserve a joint, and make a goal to achieve this aim when osteonecrosis is initially diagnosed. On the other hand, it is almost impossible to make a decision with only a therapeutic approach based on the pathology, because osteonecrosis of the femoral head is caused by a range of factors. An objective prognosis has now become possible due to the development of radiologic diagnostic assessment tools, such as CT, bone scans and MRI. Most osteonecrosis patients are in their 20-50's. Therefore, physicians make a primary goal to control pain. The surgical approach, such as total joint replacement, is not the first option for early stage osteonecrosis. In the first stage, osteonecrosis should be treated to prevent secondary degenerative diseases and preserve the hip joint. This paper introduces a non-surgical joint preserving treatment in scientific and clinical aspects for early stage osteonecrosis.