Femoral head

A first example of application of microtomography is taken from life sciences. Here X-ray microscopy and microtomography allows to reconstruct the internal three-dimensional microstructure without any preparation and sometimes even of living objects. Fig. la shows an X-ray transmission microscopical image of bone (femoral head). Several reconstructed cross-sections are shown in Fig.lb. Fig.lc shows the three-dimensional reconstruction of this bone. 

The artificial hip has been used to replace the human hip because the hip is easily worn out over a lifetime of mechanical stress resulting from normal activity. The first artificial hip implant was made by Thermistokles Gluck in 1891 in Berlin. This implant made use of a femoral head of ivory fixed with plaster of paris and glue (Gluck, 1890, 1891). The results were not good due to severe infection problems and adverse foreign body tissue reactions. To develop better hip replacement prosthesis, many materials and procedures were examined between 1925 and 1953. 

Muscle weakness, steroid myopathy, loss of muscle mass, severe arthralgia, vertebral compression fractures, aseptic necrosis of humeral and femoral heads, pathologic fracture of long bones, osteoporosis... 

In a review of renal transplantation during 1974—94,166 patients were classified into those with osteonecrosis of the femoral head (22 patients) and those without (47 patients) (SEDA-21, 417 226). The total dose of methyl-prednisolone was higher in those with osteonecrosis. All... 

In 15 men with osteonecrosis of the femoral head after short-term therapy the mean duration of therapy was 21 (range 7-39) days and the mean dose in milligram equivalents of prednisone was 850 (range 290-3300) mg (269). The time from administration of glucocorticoids to hip pain was 17 (range 6-33) months. A new case of bilateral avascular necrosis of the femoral heads after high-dose short-term dexamethasone therapy as an antiemetic in cancer chemotherapy has been reported (270). 

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head can occur with glucocorticoids in nonpregnant individuals, but has not previously been reported in pregnancy (376). 

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head after the use of a glucocorticoid nasal spray has been reported (445). 

Saisu T, Sakamoto K, Yamada K, Kashiwabara H, Yokoyama T, Iida S, Harada Y, Ikenoue S, Sakamoto M, Moriya H. High incidence of osteonecrosis of femoral head in patients receiving more than 2 g of intravenous methyl-prednisolone after renal transplantation Transplant Proc 1996 28(3) 1559-60. 

Lausten GS, Lemser T, Jensen PK, Egfjord M. Necrosis of the femoral head after kidney transplantation. Clin Transplant 1998 12(6) 572-4. 

Richards RR. Osteonecrosis of the femoral head in men following short-course corticosteroid therapy a report of 15 cases. CMAJ 2001 164(2) 205-6. 

Spencer C, Smith P, Rafla N, Weatherell R. Corticosteroids in pregnancy and osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Obstet Gynecol 1999 94(5 Part 2) 848. 

Mistlin A, Gibson T. Osteonecrosis of the femoral head resulting from excessive corticosteroid nasal spray use. J Clin Rheumatol 2004 10 45-6. 

Avascular necrosis of the femoral head and another of slipped capital femoral epiphysis with avascular necrosis have been reported in two children with growth hormone deficiency receiving growth hormone (74). 

Fig. 17.1. Drafts of two distinct protocols for performing Raman spectroscopic analyses using rotating jigs on (a) femoral heads and (b) acetabular cups. In inset, illustrative schemes of measurements using polarization filters and confocal probe...

Phase Transformation and Fracture of Zirconia Femoral Heads... 

This regimen was used by a bodybuilder who went through three cycles each year for 8 years.The subject also reported taking 600 mg of testosterone per week between cycles. This subject ultimately developed avascular necrosis in both femoral heads. 

Petrine KA. Association of anabolic steroids and avascular necrosis of femoral heads. Am J Sports Med. 1991 19 96-98. 

Ryan, T.M. and Ketcham, R.A. 2002. The three-dimensional structure of trabecular bone in the femoral head of strepsirrhine primates. J. Hum. Evol. 43(1), 1-26. 

Asano T, Takahashi KA, Fujioka M, Inoue S, Okamoto M, Sugioka N, Nishino H, Tanaka T, Hirota Y, Kubo T. ABCB1 C3435T and G2677T/A polymorphism decreased the risk for steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head after kidney transplantation. Pharmacogenetics 2003 13 ... 

Figure 16-2. (A) X-ray of the patient s normal-appearing hip taken in 1982 and (II) a collapsed and necrotic left femoral head in 1986. 

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