| abstract |
A vascular necrosis of the hip is a common disease that usually affects a young, active patient population. As the disease progresses the undermined structural integrity of the subchondral bone leads to articular collapse and subsequent osteoarthrosis. The ideal treatment is one that hinders or arrests the progression of the disease averting articular collapse and a joint replacement surgery. Several non-surgical and surgical procedures have been described to treat avascular necrosis: core decompression, osteotomies of the hip, non-vascularized and vascularized bone grafts. The purpose of this paper is to describe a surgical strategy that attempts to address the multiple factors involved in the progression of the disease: deficits in structural support, increased intraosseous pressure and the bone healing process. This is accomplished through a routine core decompression procedure combined with the insertion of two bone interference screws into the subchondral bone of the femoral head to provide structural support and the use of osteoinductive bone allograft (demineralized bone matrix) in an effort to accelerate the bone response. Prospective studies are currently underway to assess long-term outcomes. |