title: Is osteonecrosis of the femoral head avascular? Bone blood flow measurements after long-term treatment with corticosteroids.
abstract: Since nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head is usually considered primarily as an ischemic disease, blood flow has been studied in femoral segments in two groups of geese, one control group and the other treated with a high dose of corticosteroids for 5 months. There was no histologic evidence of osteonecrosis in femoral heads, and mean bone blood flow in any femoral segments was not reduced in the treated group. These results suggest that osteonecrosis of the femoral head is not caused primarily by ischemia, even if ischemia may play a secondary role in the evolution of the disorder.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001623:Betamethasone; D005269:Femur / Q000098:blood supply*; D005271:Femur Head Necrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005777:Geese; D008297:Male; D008863:Microspheres; D012039:Regional Blood Flow
chemical_list: D001623:Betamethasone