Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Pathology of Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Osteonecrosis

  • 2169 Accesses

Abstract

Although the precise etiology of nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ON) is still unclear, this condition has generally been considered to result from an ischemia to the bone and bone marrow tissues. The first pathologic description of the femoral head osteonecrosis was reported in a case of caisson disease in 1888 [1]. In 1915, the microscopic appearances of the necrotic bone caused by a circulatory disturbance (ischemia) were described by Phemister [2], who also described that reparative process was observed around the dead bone (creeping substitution) [3]. Thereafter, both alcohol- and corticosteroid-related osteonecrosis have been reported clinically, and their pathologic appearances have also been described based on the histological examinations [4, 5].

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Twynham GE. A case of caisson disease. Br Med J. 1988;1:190–1.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Phemister DB. Necrotic bone and subsequent changes which it undergoes. JAMA. 1915;64:211–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Phemister DB. Repair of bone in the presence of aseptic necrosis resulting from fractures, transplantations, and vascular obstruction. J Bone Joint Surg. 1930;12A:769–87.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Mankin HJ. Nontraumatic necrosis of bone. New Engl J Med. 1992;326:1473–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Bullough PG, DiCarlo EF. Subchondral avascular necrosis: a common cause of arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1990;49:412–20.

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Yamamoto T, DiCarlo EF, Bullough PG. The prevalence and clinicopathological appearance of extension of osteonecrosis in the femoral head. J Bone Joint Surg. 1999;81B:328–32.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Kubo T, Yamazoe S, Sugano N, Fujioka M, Naruse S, Yoshimura N, Oka T, Hirasawa Y. Initial MRI findings of non-traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head in a renal allograft recipients. Magn Reson Imaging. 1997;15:1017–23.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Norman A, Bullough P. The radiolucent crescent line: an early diagnostic sign of avascular necrosis of the femoral head. Bull Hosp Joint Dis. 1963;24:99–104.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Motomura G, Yamamoto T, Yamaguchi R, Ikemura S, Nakashima Y, Mawatari T, Iwamoto Y. Morphological analysis of collapsed regions in osteonecrosis of the femoral head. J Bone Joint Surg. 2011;93B:184–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Hofmann S, Engel A, Neuhold A, Leder K, Kramer J, Plenk Jr H. Bone-marrow edema syndrome and transient osteoporosis of the hip. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1993;75B:210–6.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Hofmann S, Kramer J, Schneider W, Plenk Jr H. Transient osteoporosis may represent a reversible early form of avascular necrosis of the hip joint. Curr Orthop. 1997;11:164–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Kubo T, Yamamoto T, Inoue S, Horii M, Ueshima K, Iwamoto Y, Hirasawa Y. Histological findings of bone marrow edema pattern on MRI in osteonecrosis of the femoral head. J Orthop Sci. 2000;5:520–3.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Vande Berg B, Malghem J, Goffin EJ, Duprez TP, Maldague BE. Transient epiphyseal lesions in renal transplant recipients: presumed insufficiency stress fractures. Radiology. 1994;191:403–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Yamamoto T, Bullough PG. Subchondral insufficiency fracture of the femoral head. A differential diagnosis in acute onset of coxarthrosis in the elderly. Arthritis Rheum. 1999;42:2719–23.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Yamamoto T, Schneider R, Bullough PG. Subchondral insufficiency fracture of the femoral head. Histopathologic correlation with MRI. Skeletal Radiol. 2001;30:247–54.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Yamamoto T, Schneider R, Bullough PG. Insufficiency subchondral fracture of the femoral head. Am J Surg Pathol. 2000;24:464–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Curtiss Jr PH, Kincaid WE. Transitory demineralization of the hip in pregnancy. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1959;41A:1327–33.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Yamamoto T, Kubo T, Hirasawa Y, Noguchi Y, Iwamoto Y, Sueishi K. A clinicopathologic study of transient osteoporosis of the hip. Skeletal Radiol. 1999;28:621–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan

    Takuaki Yamamoto

Authors
  1. Takuaki Yamamoto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Takuaki Yamamoto .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Kyonggi-do, Korea, Republic of (South Korea)

    Kyung-Hoi Koo

  2. Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Michael A. Mont

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Lynne C. Jones

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Yamamoto, T. (2014). The Pathology of Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head. In: Koo, KH., Mont, M., Jones, L. (eds) Osteonecrosis. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35767-1_19

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35767-1_19

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-35766-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35767-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation