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Bilateral osteonecrosis of the femoral head after pregnancy

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Abstract

Published cases of non-traumatic avascular necrosis of the femoral head associated with pregnacy are rare. We report a case of a 41-year-old woman who suddenly complained of bilateral hip pain 3 weeks after delivery by Caesarean section. For a problem of sterility, she had been treated with human menopausal gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin (hMG-hCG). Initial radiographs of both hip joints were considered regular. After 4 years’ evolution, radiographs of the hip joint showed collapse of both femoral heads. Bilaterally, osteonecrosis of the femoral heads was confirmed by MRI. MRI revealed a band pattern of low signal intensity for both hips on T1- and T2-weighted images. She had no history of steroid therapy or alcohol abuse. Osteonecrosis was related to pretentaine. A bilateral total hip arthroplasty was performed. The literature about avascular necrosis of the femoral head associated with pregnacy in previous cases is reviewed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Georges Pompidou European Teaching Hospital, Necker University, 20 Rue Le Blanc, 75908 , Paris Cedex 15, France

    Eric Vandenbussche, Mohamed Madhar, Christophe Nich, Wassim Zribi, Tarek Abdallah & Bernard Augereau

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  1. Eric Vandenbussche
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  2. Mohamed Madhar
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  3. Christophe Nich
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  4. Wassim Zribi
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  5. Tarek Abdallah
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  6. Bernard Augereau
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Correspondence to Eric Vandenbussche.

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Vandenbussche, E., Madhar, M., Nich, C. et al. Bilateral osteonecrosis of the femoral head after pregnancy. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg 125, 201–203 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-004-0750-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-004-0750-x

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