Vascular occlusion and cartilage disorders in osteonecrosis of the femoral head in rats

The aim of our study was to clarify the role of lateral epiphyseal vessels in the development of femoral head osteonecrosis in rats. We did this by performing histological and immunological studies on rats at the age that they are most prone to spontaneous osteonecrosis. We observed that obstruction of the lateral epiphyseal vessels occurred at the site of cartilage penetration. This obstruction preceded the development of osteonecrosis in adjacent areas of the femoral head. We propose that a similar mechanism may be responsible, in part, for the development of Perthes' disease in man.