Bilateral Hip Avascular Necrosis Treated With Stem Cell Therapy
Avascular Necrosis (AVN) also referred to as osteonecrosis, aseptic necrosis, ischemic necrosis and bone infarction, all refer to the same medical disorder.
Avascular and ischemic refer to loss of blood flow to a region of bone. This loss of blood flow results in the region of bone dying or becoming necrotic. Hence the names avascular necrosis or osteonecrosis, and ischemic necrosis.
So what does all this mean?
If a portion of bone in your joint dies do to lack of blood flow, in can decay and collapse resulting in severe joint arthritis. This can result in joint collapse leading to total hip replacement. AVN can affect any joint, thus the unfortunate fate of fusion or total joint replacement can affect any joint.
Most patients consult Dennis M. Lox, MD, because they wish to avoid total joint replacement or fusion. If avascular necrosis (AVN) is caught early there are reports of revascularizing and actually healing the bone. This patient was unfortunate to have severe rheumatoid arthritis and was maintained on high dose cortisone compounds for an extended period. High dose corticosteroids are a risk factor for avascular necrosis (AVN). Trauma is the leading cause of AVN and has afflicted many professional athletes – including professional football and baseball player Bo Jackson.
Now that regenerative medicine is off and running and the future looks bright for healing and helping conditions that were previously untreatable, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Stem Cell Therapy will help shape the landscape of medicine in the future.