Aseptic Necrosis of the Hip (Osteonecrosis; Avascular Necrosis;
Ischemic Necrosis; Osteochondritis Dissecans)En Español (Spanish
Version) Aseptic necrosis of the hip is the death of bone tissue
in the head of the femur due to an inadequate blood supply.
Certain bones have a fragile blood supply. The head of the femur
in the hip joint is the most likely to suffer loss of blood
supply and consequent tissue death. If unidentified and
uncorrected, it will progress to deformity, causing pain and a
limp. The Hip Joint © 2008 Nucleus Medical Art, Inc. Any event
or condition that damages the arteries that feed the head of the
femur raises the risk of aseptic necrosis. The most common
events are fractures in the upper femur and dislocations of the
hip. Other causes reduce the blood supply by occluding or
compressing the blood vessels. There is a specific type of
aseptic necrosis of the hip called Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease
that affects the growth plate at the upper end of the femur in
children, most commonly boys aged