Is core decompression and bone marrow concentrate with demineralized bone matrix and platelet-rich fibrin suitable for treating femoral head osteonecrosis?

The aim of this article is to determine the safety and efficacy of core decompression (CD) combined with injection of autologous bone marrow concentrate (BMC), demineralized bone matrix (DBM), and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) for treating femoral head osteonecrosis. Seventy-seven patients (53 males and 24 females) for a total of 87 hips were treated for hip osteonecrosis with CD combined with injection of autologous BMC, DBM, and PRF at Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute from September 2008 to December 2019. Patients were assessed at baseline, at 45 days, and at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months postoperatively. The primary outcome was the survival rate of hips not converted to total hip arthroplasty (THA). The secondary outcomes were (I) radiographic positive evolution assessed by X-ray films and magnetic resonance imaging and (II) the clinical symptoms evaluated with the Harris Hip Score (HHS). Eighty-seven hips from 77 patients with femoral head osteonecrosis (FHON), 60 males and 27 females, with a median age of 34 years (range 15–55) were included. The cause of necrosis was steroid treatment in 30 patients (17 of these for hematological malignancies, 2 for lupus, 1 for Churg–Strauss syndrome, and the remaining for other causes), 1 was alcohol-related, 4 followed hip injury, while 15 patients had idiopathic causes. THA was carried out in 20 hips (40%). These patients had lesions classified as IIa on the Ficat stage in four cases, six were IIb, nine were III, and one was 4. No CD-related complications were found during THA surgery or at the last follow-up in these cohorts of patients. Radiographic progression of the FHON was found in 14 hips (28%), with a higher percentage on Ficat’s stage IIb. There were procedure-related complications in two hips, including one femoral neck fracture and one deep infection. Nineteen hips with successful treatment had good to excellent functional results at a 3-year follow-up or more (HHS ≥ 80). The long-term outcomes of treatment with CD and injection with BMC combined with DBM and PRF are promising to prevent femoral head collapse in patients with FHON. Moreover, CD does not influence the outcome in cases of THA.