[Therapy of femoral head osteonecrosis: results of a national survey].
OBJECTIVE
The therapy for osteonecrosis (ON) of the femoral head is controversially discussed in the literature. The aim of this study was to ascertain the current treatment concepts of ON in Germany and to compare them with the results reported in the literature.


METHODS
219 Departments of Orthopedic Surgery were asked for their treatment strategies in an anonymous country-wide survey regarding the etiology, diagnosis and therapy (conservative, operative) of ON. Univariate analyses were performed and means, medians and rates were calculated.


RESULTS
43 % of ON were idiopathic, 28 % were due to alcoholism and another 17 % were seen after steroid intake. All departments performed biplanar X-rays for diagnosis of ON and 78 % of departments obtained additional magnet resonance imaging. In the early stages of ON (stage I, II) 33 % of orthopedic clinics recommend a conservative treatment (protected weight bearing, high energy shock wave, pulsed electromagnetic fields) while 67 % prefer surgery (79 % core decompression, 15 % flexion osteotomy, 6 % total hip arthroplasty). In the later stages (stage III, IV) most clinics perform an operative treatment (11 % core decompression, 10 % flexion osteotomy, 79 % total hip arthroplasty).


CONCLUSIONS
Results of ON of the femoral head are unsatisfactory after protected weight bearing. No randomized clinical trials and no mid-term results are available for high energy shock wave or pulsed electromagnetic fields therapy. In the early stages of ON core decompression shows good results. However, in he later stages with secondary arthritis of the hip, total hip arthroplasty remains the gold standard.
Orthopädische Klinik der Universität Regensburg. Markus.Tingart@Klinik.Uni-Regensburg.de
M
M
Tingart
H
H
Bäthis
L
L
Perlick
K
K
Lerch
C
C
Lüring
J
J
Grifka
D005271:Femur Head Necrosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*