Alcohol-induced multifocal osteonecrosis: a case report with 14-year follow-up

Treatment options for secondary osteonecrosis of the knee

Knee osteonecrosis is a debilitating progressive degenerative disease characterized by subchondral bone ischemia. It can lead to localized necrosis, tissue death, and progressive joint destruction. For this reason, it is essential to diagnose and treat this disease early to avoid subchondral collapse, chondral damage, and end-stage osteoarthritis, where the only solution is total knee arthroplasty. Three types of knee osteonecrosis have been documented in the literature: spontaneous or primitive, secondary, and post arthroscopy. Spontaneous osteonecrosis is the most common type studied in the literature. Secondary osteonecrosis of the knee is a rare disease and, unlike the spontaneous one, involves patients younger than 50 years. It presents a particular set of pathological, clinical, imaging, and progression features. The management of secondary osteonecrosis is determined by the stage of the disorder, the clinical manifestation, the size and location of the lesions, whether the involvement is unilateral or bilateral, the patient's age, level of activity, general health, and life expectancy. This review aims to present the recent evidence on treatment options for secondary osteonecrosis of the knee, including conservative treatment, joint preserving surgery, and knee replacement.

Multifocal Osteonecrosis Secondary to Chronic Alcohol Ingestion

Multifocal osteonecrosis is a relatively rare disorder with an estimated incidence of around 3% among patients diagnosed as having osteonecrosis. Multifocal osteonecrosis is caused by the several conditions including corticosteroid treatment, coagulation disorders, connective tissue disorders including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), inflammatory bowel disease, renal transplantation, and underlying malignancies. Alcohol abuse is one of the risk factors for osteonecrosis, and alcohol-induced osteonecrosis is 5% among all the osteonecrosis. Furthermore, the overall incidence of alcohol-induced multifocal osteonecrosis was approximately 6% among all the osteonecrosis induced by the alcohol. Therefore, here, we report an extremely rare case of alcohol-induced multifocal osteonecrosis involving three joints (two knees and one hip) and review the related literature.

The incidence of alcohol-associated osteonecrosis of the knee is lower than the incidence of steroid-associated osteonecrosis of the knee: an MRI study

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the study was to clarify the incidence of alcohol-associated osteonecrosis of the knee using MRI.

METHODS

A total of 131 patients (56 women and 75 men) with osteonecrosis of the femoral head were enrolled; 60 patients had a history of alcohol abuse and 71 had previously received steroids. All patients underwent MRI of the knee. The incidence of alcohol-associated osteonecrosis of the knee was compared with that of steroid-associated osteonecrosis of the knee. Predictive factors of alcohol- and steroid-associated osteonecrosis of the knee were also evaluated.

RESULTS

The incidence of alcohol-associated osteonecrosis of the knee was lower than that of steroid-associated osteonecrosis of the knee (18.3 vs 54.9%; P < 0.001, Fisher's exact probability test). No significant difference in weekly alcohol consumption was observed between patients with osteonecrosis of the knee and those without osteonecrosis of the knee. No significant difference in daily maximum steroid doses was observed between patients with osteonecrosis of the knee and those without osteonecrosis of the knee.

CONCLUSION

The present study revealed that the incidence of alcohol-associated osteonecrosis of the knee is lower than that of steroid-associated osteonecrosis of the knee.