title: Treatment of osteonecrosis of the knee.
abstract: There are several options for the treatment of patients with osteonecrosis about the knee. Three appear to be the most effective and include conservative treatment for small lesions without evidence of structural collapse, core decompression for relief of pain and possible delay in structural collapse in the patients with steroid-induced osteonecrosis, and either unicompartmental or total knee arthroplasty. Although other modalities have been reported, these three remain the most widely reported and generally offer the greatest success. With better recognition of these problems, longer duration follow-up, and larger patient series, the answers to the best treatment regimen will become better defined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Lotke
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Battish
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001178:Arthroplasty; D003646:Debridement; D019299:Decompression, Surgical; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint; D010020:Osteonecrosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D010027:Osteotomy; D013256:Steroids / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D013256:Steroids