Author(s)

Ben J. Brooker, Prue P. A. Keith

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery North East Health Wangaratta, Wangaratta, Australia.

Non-traumatic osteonecrosis is a cause of joint pain and deformity, not uncommonly caused by corticosteroid use. Despite this, corticosteroid induced osteonecrosis is poorly represented in the literature. We performed a detailed review of corticosteroid induced osteonecrosis, including aetiology, prevention, screening, clinical presentation, investigations, staging systems and treatment. We present this in the context of a patient at our institution who developed bilateral hip, shoulder and knee osteonecrosis following high dose corticosteroid therapy for dermatomyositis.

Osteonecrosis; Corticosteroids; Steroids; Avascular Necrosis of Bone

Brooker, B. and Keith, P. (2012) Osteonecrosis: The perils of steroids. A review of the literature and case report. Case Reports in Clinical Medicine, 1, 26-37. doi: 10.4236/crcm.2012.12008.