Modified osteochondral autograft transplantation for steroid-induced osteonecrosis of femoral head in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura: a case report and literature

Osteochondral autograft transplantation (OAT) has been commonly applied in the knee and ankle while the technique has not yet been a popularity in the femoral head. In this article, we present a 28-year-old female patient, who has a history of 1-year-use of glucocorticoid in the treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, with steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SONFH). She underwent surgical hip dislocation, osteochondroplasty, OAT, and internal fixation. Her Harris Hip Score improved from 64 to 82 in 36 months to follow-up. The case is valuable considering that a single, instead of several, 1.5 cm autograft was harvested from the non-bearing part of the same femoral head. This modification dispensed with the need of surgery for harvesting autograft from knee or ankle and reduced the structural vulnerability brought by the multihole donor part of the femoral head.