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Home > Specialties > Hip > Symptoms of Avascular Necrosis

How Do I Know I Have Avascular Necrosis?

In the earliest stages of osteonecrosis plain x-rays are often normal. A magnetic resonance image (MRI) is the key that allows us to detect AVN at its earliest stages.

How often is the other hip affected?

Verification of the status of the opposite hip is very important as part of the evaluation of osteonecrosis, because studies have shown that often the contralateral hip is asymptomatic and has a normal x-ray, and even more importantly in cases of non-traumatic osteonecrosis, the incidence of bilaterality is up to 80%.

Will it get Worse?

The natural history of osteonecrosis is linked to the size of the necrotic segment. Very small lesions (involvement of less than 15% of the femoral head) may resolve without any further treatment. On the other hand, lesions involving greater than 50% of the femoral head progress to collapse, and ultimately require in total hip arthroplasty.