Abstract
Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) occurs frequently in adolescents and young adults and causes progressive deformation and destruction of the hip joint and impairs standing and walking, resulting in a significant decrease in the quality of life of patients. In addition, studies have shown that a history of corticosteroid administration and heavy alcohol consumption are closely related to the occurrence of ONFH. However, the detailed mechanism by which steroid administration and alcohol consumption are associated with the development of the disease is still unknown. With many researches still ongoing and without a clear biological pathway for osteonecrosis, effective preventive measures cannot be taken. Therefore, the current focus of ONFH treatment is to establish an early diagnosis and treatment strategy. We obtained the femoral heads of four patients with steroidal ONFH and three patients with alcoholic ONFH. We then compared the femoral heads of steroidal and alcoholic osteonecrosis by analyzing them at the molecular level by Raman spectroscopy. Crystallographic changes (deformations) in the mineral phase and fraction of organic material respect to the total mass were then plotted as a function. We found that changes in bone composition in ONFH were different in steroidal and alcoholic ONFH. We conclude that this suggests that the developmental mechanisms of steroidal and alcoholic ONFH may follow different paths. We also noticed that while steroid seem to lead to a more marked degradation of the tissue, alcohol seem to affect also the quality of the healthy tissue.
Highlights
Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) has been reported to be a common cause of acute hip pain in the early stage, following the progressive collapse of the femoral head with joint destruction [1]
The status of osteonecrosis was assessed by the institution, using histological results that are not included in this manuscript
Due to the limited number of specimens, in order to minimize the effects of age, gender, and other health conditions on the results, spectroscopic experiments were conducted by Raman spectroscopy on dependent triplets of areas exploiting pairing of patient data in healthy and diseased areas
Summary
Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) has been reported to be a common cause of acute hip pain in the early stage, following the progressive collapse of the femoral head with joint destruction [1]. 18.2–19.2 and peak distribution was observed at ages the 40s and 60s in males and females, respectively [2]. Alcohol- and steroid-associated ONFH had the highest prevalence of 47.0% in males and 49.8% in females, respectively [3]. Restoration of extensive necrosis requires surgical resection: in such cases, total hip arthroplasty (THA) is required, but this surgery is a highly intrusive one for the patient [4]. In ONFH, the bone tissue becomes necrotic due to impaired blood flow or other circulatory problems, which can be associated with, alcoholism, steroid ingestion, and smoking [5,6]. It is a serious condition that often impairs weight-bearing joints, such as the hip and knees. Most patients require a total hip replacement after the femoral head loses its load-bearing function
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
