Health Information : Avascular Necrosis

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What is avascular necrosis?

Avascular necrosis (also called osteonecrosis, aseptic necrosis, or ischemic bone necrosis) is a disease that results from the temporary or permanent loss of blood supply to the bone. When blood supply is cut off, the bone tissue dies and the bone collapses. If avascular necrosis occurs near a joint, collapse of the joint surface may occur.

What causes avascular necrosis?

Avascular necrosis may be the result of the following:

• traumatic causes (including injury, fracture, or damage to blood vessels)
• non-traumatic causes (including long-term use of medications such as corticosteroids or excessive, long-term use of alcohol)
• fatty deposits in blood vessels
• certain diseases like sickle cell anaemia, Gaucher’s disease, pancreatitis and HIV

What are the symptoms of Avascular Necrosis?

In early stages, there may be no symptoms at all. However, as the disease progresses you can start experiencing pain. With time, this pain becomes more severe and constant interfering with your ability to use the specific joint.

Treatment for avascular necrosis:

The treatment depends on the severity of your condition and aims to prevent further bone loss.

Early symptoms can be reduced by medications and therapy such as:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Osteoporosis drugs
• Cholesterol lowering drugs
• Blood thinners
• Rest
• Exercises
• Electrical stimulation

Surgical procedures include core decompression, joint replacement and vascularised bone grafting.