Failure after core decompression in osteonecrosis of the femoral head

In a retrospective study of 39 hips with osteonecrosis of the femoral head treated with core decompression we evaluated the extent of the necrotic are a, the Ficat stage and the location of the lesion. The extent of the necrot ic lesion was classified into three categories: mild, less than 15%; modera te, 15-30%; and severe, more than 30%. In 14 mild cases core decompression failed in 2, whereas there were 4 failures out of 7 moderate cases and 16 f ailures out of 19 severe cases. The extent and location of the necrotic por tion as well as the Ficat stage can be used as predictors for the result of core decompression in osteonecrosis of the femoral head.