Kyung-Hoi Koo • Michael A. Mont • Lynne C. Jones
Editors

2014

Osteonecrosis usually affects adults younger than 50 years and frequently leads to collapse and subsequent osteoarthritis. It is becoming more prevalent because of increasing use of steroids in the management of organ transplantation and adjuvant therapy for leukemia and other myelogenous diseases. In the United States, 10,000–20,000 people are affected with osteonecrosis of the femoral head annually, which accounts for up to 10 % of total hip arthroplasties performed each year. In nationwide surveys from Japan and Korea, the annual prevalence was more than 10,000. In Taiwan, about half of the total hip arthroplasties were done due to femoral head osteonecrosis. Thus, osteonecrosis leads to increasing socioeconomic burden worldwide.