Clinical study on minimally invasive treatment of femoral head necrosis with two different bone graft materials

Purpose To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of two different bone graft materials in the minimally invasive treatment of early and middle stage femoral head necrosis. Methods A total of 36 patients (39 hips) with avascular necrosis of the femoral head were divided into autologous iliac bone group (ABG) and bioceramics bone group (BBG). Both groups were treated with minimally invasive thick channel decompression to remove dead bone of femoral head. The ABG was treated with autologous iliac bone graft, and BBG was treated with beta-tricalcium phosphate bone graft. The operation time, intra-operative blood loss, haemoglobin, and haematocrit were recorded at three and seven days post-operatively. The clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated by Harris score and imaging examination before, and after treatment and at follow-up stages. Results The patients were followed up for 24 to 45 (average 29.27 +/- 3.56) months. The BBG was significantly better than the ABG in terms of operation time, intra-operative blood loss, haemoglobin, and haematocrit value at three days. Compared with pre-operative, the Harris score of the two groups at 12 months after operation was significantly improved. The Harris score and the imaging evaluation of the last follow-up exhibited significantly better outcome in BBG than those of ABG. Conclusion Bioceramics and autologous iliac bone minimally invasive treatment of early and medium-term femoral head necrosis exhibited satisfactory clinical efficacy in the short and medium-term. The bioceramics graft materials have the advantages of reducing trauma, bleeding, operation time, and quick recovery of post-operative functions.

Automated summary

The study compared the clinical efficacy and safety of autologous iliac bone graft and bioceramics bone graft in the treatment of early and middle stage femoral head necrosis. The results showed that the bioceramics bone group had better outcomes in terms of operation time, intra-operative blood loss, haemoglobin, and haematocrit values compared to the autologous iliac bone group.