Osteonecrosis of the knee: a concise review of the current literature

Abstract

Osteonecrosis (ON) of the knee is a progressive disease that can lead to subchondral collapse and end-stage osteoarthritis of the knee. Originally described as a single disease, it includes three different pathologic entities: spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee (SONK), secondary osteonecrosis of the knee, and post-arthroscopic osteonecrosis of the knee. This article reviews the current literature of these three different conditions by describing their epidemiology, etiology and pathogenesis, clinical presentations and radiographic findings. Various treatment option (e.g., core decompression, bone grafting, stem cells implantation, tibial osteotomy and arthroplasty), available for each entities are reviewed.