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Surgical Technique: Arthroscopic Core Decompression

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Hip Arthroscopy and Hip Joint Preservation Surgery

Abstract

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head continues to be a challenging problem in the young patient population. Even with extensive study of this disease, the pathophysiology of this condition remains poorly understood, and often, the underlying etiology is unknown. Several risk factors have been identified, including steroid use, alcohol use, trauma, and a history of hypercoagulable and metabolic disorders. The management of osteonecrosis is dependent on the stage of the disease, which is typically divided into pre-collapse and post-collapse stages. The management of pre-collapse osteonecrosis of the femoral head is controversial, and both medical and surgical options have been described. Historical procedures included hemiresurfacing, total resurfacing, proximal femur rotational osteotomy, resection arthroplasty, and arthrodesis. The most commonly used surgical options include core decompression as well as bone grafting (vascularized or non-vascularized). Core decompression is a technique that theoretically decreases intraosseous pressure of the femoral head, resulting in a local vascularized healing response. Use of arthroscopy has recently been popularized and continues to develop into the gold standard for surgical management. Patients with advanced disease or failure of joint-preserving techniques can have excellent outcomes with total hip arthroplasty.

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Correspondence to Rachel M. Frank .

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K. Chang, J., Gupta, A., Hellman, M.D., Kalthoff, A.M., Nho, S.J., Frank, R.M. (2022). Surgical Technique: Arthroscopic Core Decompression. In: Nho, S.J., Bedi, A., Salata, M.J., Mather III, R.C., Kelly, B.T. (eds) Hip Arthroscopy and Hip Joint Preservation Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43240-9_93

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43240-9_93

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