Abstract

Avascular necrosis of the femoral head is a progressive disease characterized by bone ischemia which evolves to subchondral collapse in more than 85% of patients. We describe a case of an early stage idiopathic avascular necrosis of the femoral head in a female patient that was characterized by bone marrow edema involving the whole femoral head and the majority of the femoral neck with a small subchondral fracture and slight applanation of the femoral head. This condition was suspected by physiatrist after the detection of substantial effusion in the hip joint during ultrasound examination and confirmed after magnetic resonance imaging. The patient was treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy with complete regression of both the clinical symptoms and the MRI findings. Clinical Rehabilitation Impact: Ultrasound examination during physiatrist evaluation can help in establishing the early diagnosis and in reducing the number of hip arthroplasties caused by avascular necrosis.

Authors and Affiliations