Progression of Osteonecrosis

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I was diagnosed with osteonecrosis of the left tibia at the age of 39 (1997) with (so far) no surgical remedy. For the last 2 years or so my elbows have been constantly hurting and I've had numerous cortisone injections that seemed to help initially. Now my left elbow hasn't responded to this treatment and I'm wondering what the chances are of this being a symptom of a more widespread condition than had previously been diagnosed. No one (from Shands top ortho guy to Mayo Clinic's best ankle guy) has ever suggested that this could be a result of heavy prednisone use when I was 19-24 for a severe skin condition. If it is the same thing, has all the damage been done or will the condition progress even without taking any more prednisone?

-- Christi Williamson (cmjwilliamson@msn.com), April 08, 2004

Answers

In general, osteonecrosis advances even after the initial causative agent has been discontinued. There are some interventions, such as core decompression, that have been useful in the early treatment of this condition.

-- Mesfin Lemma, M.D. (mlemma2@jhmi.edu), May 06, 2004.

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