Avascular necrosis

Alternative Titles: aseptic necrosis, ischemic bone necrosis

Avascular necrosis, also called aseptic necrosis, ischemic bone necrosis, or osteonecrosis, death of bone tissue caused by a lack of blood supply to the affected area. Avascular necrosis most commonly affects the epiphyses (ends) of the femur (thigh bone); other commonly affected bones include those of the upper arm, the shoulder, the knee, and the ankle. Avascular necrosis tends to occur in men more often than women and typically is diagnosed between ages 30 and 50. The condition often is progressive, resulting in joint destruction within three to five years if left untreated.

  • Learn about prosthetic jaw joint replacements and how that technology can be used for hip, shoulder, and spinal joint replacements.
    Learn about prosthetic jaw joint replacements and how that technology can be used for hip, …

Causes and risk factors

The cause of avascular necrosis is not well understood. It is thought that a combination of metabolic factors, mechanical stress, and local factors in the affected bone that interrupt its blood supply may contribute to the development of disease and lead to the eventual collapse of the affected bone.

Several traumatic and nontraumatic factors have been linked to avascular necrosis. Risk of the condition appears to be increased particularly by the use of steroid hormones, excessive alcohol intake, and trauma to the bone.

Steroid hormones

Read More on This Topic
joint disease: Aseptic necrosis

Many studies have linked the use of steroid hormones (e.g., glucocorticoids) with an increased risk of avascular necrosis. Proposed mechanisms behind the association include hyperlipidemia (elevated lipid levels in the blood supply) leading to the formation of fat emboli capable of blocking the arteries that supply the bone; steroid-induced changes in venous endothelial cells (the cells that line blood vessels) leading to blood stasis, increased pressure within the bone, and the eventual death of bone tissue; and oxidative damage within bone tissue.

Patients treated with prolonged courses of high-dose steroid hormones are at high risk of developing avascular necrosis. By contrast, patients who receive short-term steroids, including pulse-dosing and steroid injections into a joint, rarely develop avascular necrosis.

Alcohol intake

Excessive alcohol intake as a risk factor for the development of avascular necrosis is well established. Studies suggest that alcohol intake induces adipocyte (fat cell) differentiation, resulting in the proliferation of adipocytes. Those changes may in turn encourage the formation of fat emboli and lead to blood stasis, thereby contributing to the development of avascular necrosis. A dose-response relationship exists between alcohol intake and avascular necrosis risk such that the more alcohol a person consumes regularly, the more likely he or she is to develop avascular necrosis.


Fracture or dislocation of a bone may cause damage to the blood vessels inside the bone. For example, fractures in the subcapital region of the femoral neck frequently interrupt the major part of the blood supply to the head of the femur, which can lead to avascular necrosis.

Other risk factors

Other medical conditions have been associated with avascular necrosis. These include sickle cell hemoglobinopathies, lupus, Gaucher disease, chronic renal failure, pancreatitis, hyperlipidemia, HIV infection, and gout. In addition, there are two types of avascular necrosis that are seen only in children. The first is idiopathic osteonecrosis of the femoral head, which is known as Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, and the second is osteonecrosis occurring in children, which is associated with a slipped capital femoral epiphysis.


The most common presenting symptom of avascular necrosis is pain. Groin pain, for example, is the most common complaint in patients who have avascular necrosis of the femoral head; thigh pain and buttock pain may also be present in this condition. Most patients complain of increased pain when bearing weight on the affected joint and during movement of the joint. Some patients may also complain of pain during rest. Many patients do not present until late in the disease process because pain is not always present in the early stages.

Location of avascular necrosis

Test Your Knowledge
Apples and Doctors: Fact or Fiction?

The most common location of avascular necrosis is the anterolateral femoral head. The condition is also seen in the humeral head (the humerus is the arm bone that connects the shoulder to the elbow), the femoral condyle (the bony protrusion on the side of the femur), the proximal tibia (the top of the shinbone), vertebrae in the spine, and small bones of the hand and foot. Some patients have disease on only one side of the body, but many patients present with disease on both sides (bilateral). Bilateral disease is most commonly seen in the hips, the knees, and the shoulders.


When symptoms suggest avascular necrosis, a complete physical exam and imaging studies are performed to help make the diagnosis. Findings on physical exam are usually nonspecific. Patients may have pain and some limitation in the range of motion of the affected joint. When a bone in the lower extremities is affected, a limp may develop as the disease progresses to the later stages. Some patients with avascular necrosis will have a normal physical exam with no symptoms.

Imaging studies, including X-rays, bone scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are helpful in making the diagnosis and in classifying and staging the extent of disease. X-ray evaluation of suspected avascular necrosis of the femoral head usually begins with anterior-posterior and frog-leg (lateral) views of the hips. X-ray findings, however, can remain normal for months after symptoms of pain began. Bone scans are helpful to further evaluate patients with suspected disease who have normal X-rays, unilateral symptoms, and no known risk factors. The bone scan identifies areas of active bone turnover and can show an area of active turnover surrounding a cold area, or “dead spot,” where bone has died. This finding on a bone scan is known as the “doughnut sign”; since the doughnut sign is not specific to avascular necrosis, additional diagnostic testing, such as with MRI, is needed. MRI is much more sensitive than X-rays or bone scans alone and can detect changes early in the course of the disease.

Classification and staging

Classification and staging of avascular necrosis are based primarily on imaging findings. The greater the extent of bone involved, the more serious the disease and the higher the stage. In stage 0, the patient is asymptomatic and X-ray findings are normal, but MRI reveals evidence of avascular necrosis. Pain is present in stage I, which may be further distinguished by indications of bone loss from X-ray findings. In stage II, X-rays reveal evidence of osteoporosis (bone loss) and discrete areas of osteosclerosis (abnormally dense bone). In stage III, the patient may complain of pain that radiates from the affected area; both X-rays and MRI show signs of bone collapse. Stage IV is characterized by severe pain and late changes in the affected joint.


Treatment options for avascular necrosis include conservative management, joint replacement, core decompression (to relieve pressure in the bone), and osteotomy (cutting and reshaping of the bone). Conservative management involves bed rest, partial weight bearing with crutches, weight bearing as tolerated, and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents for pain management. This approach generally does not help stop the progression of disease. Joint replacement, such as total hip replacement for a patient with avascular necrosis of the femoral head, has been used with mixed results. Some patients who undergo joint replacement experience poorer outcomes compared with patients who have joint replacement for other reasons. Total joint replacement of the shoulder for avascular necrosis has been shown to be more successful than hip or knee joint replacement.

Core decompression for avascular necrosis was initially used as a diagnostic tool to measure bone marrow pressure and to collect bone marrow biopsy specimens. Doctors began to notice that patients experienced symptomatic pain relief after the diagnostic procedure and began to use it as a type of treatment.

Osteotomy is a so-called joint-sparing technique that has been used to treat primarily avascular necrosis of the femoral head. The goal of this treatment is to redistribute the weight-bearing forces to healthy cartilage and bone. Overall, osteotomies have been successful in treating late-stage disease.

avascular necrosis
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Harvard
  • Chicago
You have successfully emailed this.
Error when sending the email. Try again later.
Edit Mode
Avascular necrosis
Table of Contents
Tips For Editing




Thank You for Your Contribution!



Uh Oh


Keep Exploring Britannica

Viruses, Bacteria, and Diseases
Human Bones: Fact or Fiction?
quantum mechanics
Colourized transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of West Nile virus.
6 Exotic Diseases That Could Come to a Town Near You
Margaret Mead
Apples and Doctors: Fact or Fiction?
6 Common Infections We Wish Never Existed
Email this page