Outcome of painful XXXX of the femoral head following treatment with parenteral iloprost.

@entity1 @entity236 @entity158 @entity1423
BACKGROUND: Bone @entity236 (BME) is a common cause of @entity158 . The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of the vasoactive drug iloprost in the treatment of BME of femoral head. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 27 @entity1 (19 male, 8 female) with BME of the femoral head. Their mean age was 53.7 +/- 10.8 years. All @entity1 were treated with iloprost, a vasoactive drug that dilates arterioles and venules, reduces capillary permeability and suppresses @entity1423 . The therapy comprised a series of five infusions with 20 to 50 mug iloprost over 6 h on 5 consecutive days each. Weight bearing was reduced for up to 3 weeks, depending on the severity of symptoms. @entity158 at rest as well as under stress was assessed with a semi quantitative scale from before and 4 months after therapy. MRI investigations were done before and repeated 4 months after therapy. RESULTS: At the clinical follow up of four months after therapy, the @entity158 level at rest had diminished by a mean of 58.3% (P < 0.0001). @entity158 under stress decreased by a mean of 41.9% (P < 0.0001). On MRI, 20 @entity1 had a significant reduction of BME size or complete normalization and 4 showed no change. Worsening of the MRI pattern was found in 3 @entity1 . CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that the use of parenteral iloprost might be a viable method in the treatment of BME of femoral head.
