Can you tell us more about your necrosis?

Hi Ivy! I was having quite a bit of hip pain in 2004. Xrays showed only a small amount of osteoarthritis, inline with someone my age. The xrays did not support the amount of pain I was experiencing so my rheumy sent me for a MRI. That is when the AVN [avascular necrosis also called osteonecrosis] was discovered. I was immediately sent to an orthopedic surgeon that recommended immediate hip replacement. I scheduled the hip replacement for the right hip for January of 2005. In the meantime, my GI looked at the MRI and said I needed Remicade right away as he felt it was not the AVN causing the pain but rather my spondyloarthropathy. By the third infusion, all the hip pain vanished. My mobility returned and I canceled the surgery.

By all rights, someone with 30% of the femoral head necrotic [dead] will see the bone collapse and need joint replacement surgery within 2 years. In 2006 I had another hip MRI. There was no further progression of the necrosis. There was no bone collapse or loss of integrety. My mobility is fine and I do not have hip pain. I have it listed on my "to ask" questions for the rheumy if he thinks we need to look at the femoral heads again to make sure there is no further deterioation. Every doctor I see is amazed that I can still walk because of this. I do know that hip replacements are likely somewhere on the horizion.

Thanks for your interest......Ides