title: A subchondral fracture in transient osteoporosis of the hip.
abstract: Although subchondral changes are reported to be associated with transient osteoporosis of the hip (TOH), the etiology of this disorder is unknown.In this paper, we describe a 45-year-old man with TOH who underwent both MRI and CT examinations. Plain radiographs obtained 2 months after the onset of hip pain showed a focal loss of radiodensity in the left femoral head. MRI revealed a bone marrow edema pattern in the left femoral head and neck with an associated subchondral serpiginous low signal intensity line on the T1-weighted images. A CT scan showed a subchondral fracture in the corresponding area. The hip pain and imaging abnormalities resolved spontaneously following conservative treatment. This case study demonstrated that a subchondral fracture of the femoral head was associated with TOH using MRI and CT examinations, and suggests that the presence of a subchondral fracture may be important for the pathophysiology of TOH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kyushu Rosai Hospital, 1-3-1 Kuzuharatakamatsu, Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyushu 800-0296, Japan. keitamiya@jcom.home.ne.jp
authors.forename: Keita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyanishi
authors.forename: Shigekazu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaminomachi
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Hironobu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Torisu
mesh_terms: D005270:Femur Head / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications*; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods