THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DIAGNOSIS OF SUBCHONDRAL FRACTURE OF THE FEMORAL HEAD, HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE IT FROM AVASCULAR NECROSIS AND HOW TO TREAT IT

Subchondral fracture of the femoral head is an uncommon and underdiagnosed affection. The abrupt or gradual onset of groin pain with functional disability on weight-bearing that improves with a resting period should alert the orthopedic surgeon to the possibility of this diagnosis. The differential diagnosis from osteonecrosis of the femoral head can be provided by assessing the different patterns of bone edema on MRI studies of the hip, thus avoiding unnecessary invasive operations on the hip.