Early Diagnosis of Ischemic Necrosis of the Femoral Head

Description: Hungerford, D. S. Early Diagnosis of Ischemic Necrosis of the Femoral Head. Johns Hopkins Medical Journal, 137 (1975), 270-275
Intraosseous pressure in the intertrochanteric region, and response to a five milliliter saline load injected intraosseously were measured in twenty-four hips in twenty patients with ischemic necrosis of the femoral head and nine hips in seven controls. All hips in which subsequent biopsy proved ischemic necrosis of the femoral head showed either intraosseous pressure greater than 30 mmHg, a hypertensive response to the saline load, or both. All controls measure less than 30 mmHg intraosseous pressure and no significant pressure rise to the saline injection.