Avascular necrosis of femur treated with combination therapy of pulsed radio frequency of articular branches of femoral and obturator nerve with autologous intra-articular platelet-rich plasma therapy: A case report

Abstract

We report a case of a 53-year-old man with early stage (stage II) avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head treated with pulsed radio frequency (pRF) of articular branches of femoral and obturator nerves with autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) intra-articular injection. Autologous PRP was injected into the diseased hip under fluoroscopy guidance. The patient was followed up at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after treatment, together with visual analog scale (VAS) Walking Index, Harris Hip Score, and Range of Motion (ROM) assessments. The patient's severe hip pain considerably improved during subsequent follow-up at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after treatment, with significant improvement in VAS pain scores, Harris Hip Score, and ROM. This case represents the first evidence of complete resolution of symptoms of stage II AVN of the hip, following a combination treatment with pRF with PRP having a synergistic beneficial effect.

Keywords

• Avascular necrosis
• nonsurgical treatment
• platelet-rich plasma
• pulsed radio frequency
• regenerative medicine