Femoral head resurfacing for the treatment of osteonecrosis in the young patient

We reviewed the clinical and radiographic results of 29 consecutive femoral head resurfacing procedures in 28 patients with avascular necrosis done from February 1997 until April 2000. There were 18 males and 10 females with an average age of 31.6 years (range, 12-48 years). The average Harris hip score significantly improved from 48.1 points preoperatively to 79.3 points at last followup. At final followup, 17 patients (18 hips [62%]) reported feeling much better or better than they did before hemiresurfacing. The overall survivorship was 75.9% at 3 years. Eight hips (27.6%) were converted to a total hip arthroplasty (THA) at an average 18 months (range, 8-43 months) after resurfacing. The results of this study suggest that femoral head resurfacing in a young patient with ON can greatly improve symptoms. The majority of patients were satisfied with the procedure but outcomes are unpredictable with only 62.5% of patients reporting satisfaction and good pain relief at last followup. We continue to offer this procedure in young patients with large necrotic lesions with the understanding that this procedure provides somewhat unpredictable pain relief; however, hemiresurfacing avoids the negatives associated with a bearing surface.