Re: Re: Ok, but how long does resurfacing last with AVN?

[Guest guest]

Hi,

From what I have gathered it all depends on the why of AVN in the first

place........... Whether it has different technical terms attached to it or

not, it seems that some of it comes from an accident causing fracture that

breaks off the blood supply to areas of the femur head, other times there is

some other cause of a breakdown of blood supply from causes not particular

clear......... and apparently happens in other joints than hips

too..............

After a resurface there is a chance for a couple of reasons........... first

if it kept creeping from an original AVN area (from whatever original

cause) - would think only possible if the vascularization problems were

beyond what the surgeon cuts away......... and I would figure most of these

surgeons would have a fair idea what they were looking at there and made a

pretty good call on the day, if they went ahead with a

Resurface.............i.e. they no doubt know what they are looking at about

why the AVN that's there - bones being their speciality............

Second, my OS says here in Australia where ops are now getting to be

routine, the failure most likely to happen is appearing to come from cracks

happening during the putting on of Resurface prothesis........i.e. a heavy

hand behind the hammer.......... said cracks may cause the loss of

vascularization, AVN type happening, and then of course failure of

prothesis.......... This is the major reason they look for people with

fairly good bone stock so there is less chance of cracking that femur head

during the procedure...........

As most of us know once we get the prothesis, if we have fairly healthy

bones everywhere else and no cracks created during the procedure it doesn't

take long for the bone to become healthier and denser.......... and when one

sees it doing that up to the metal cap via xrays it is hard to not believe

it is happily doing it under the cap too..........

Edith LBHR Dr. L Walter Syd Aust 8/02

> " ...once the dead bone is removed AVN shouldn't progress under the

> cap... " I wonder why not. My understanding is that the initial cause

> of AVN can be loss of vascularization coming from north of the

> femoral head; thus, a diagnosis of AVN of the femoral head after

> traumatic injury involving the acetabulum. The cap would/should

> completely abolish such a vascular pathway, no? Do we then conclude

> that vascularization from the kneebone direction upward is sufficient

> to maintain a healthy well-perfused chamfered femoral head? Anybody

> know anything about femoral head vascularization? Thanks - Bob

>

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