Avascular necrosis (osteonecrosis) is characterized by tissue death due to reduction or loss of blood supply to a bone. Causes include joint or bone trauma, fatty deposits in blood vessels, corticosteroid use, alcohol abuse, and some diseases. Other risk factors are chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and organ transplantation. May occur at any age, but most commonly occurs in adults aged 30-60. Patients are typically asymptomatic early on, but most experience joint pain increasing in severity as the disease develops. The femoral head site is most commonly affected, but the humeral head site, femoral condyles, and small bones are also sites of common occurrence. Typically, clinical presentation consists of sudden onset of pain in the joint.

The goal of treatment is to prevent further joint and bone damage. To help determine the most appropriate treatment (surgical or nonsurgical), the following factors must be taken into account: patient age, stage of disease, affected location, and underlying cause of osteonecrosis.

Related topics: osteonecrosis of the humeral heads, osteonecrosis of the femoral heads, progressive avascular necrosis of lunate, avascular necrosis of knee, avascular necrosis of scaphoid