Hinged Arthrodiastasis for Avascular Necrosis of the Hip

Avascular necrosis of the hip with collapse will routinely lead to progressive arthropathy. The treatment of this disorder has ordinarily been protected weight bearing with limited surgical options once collapse has already occurred. An 18 year old male with avascular necrosis of the left hip following a left femoral neck fracture was treated surgically with arthrodiastasis (external fixation of the femur spanning the hip), core decompression, bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2), calcium sulphate/phosphate, and bisphosphonates. This combination of treatment allowed for an excellent outcome and prevented further collapse of the femoral head.