OUTCOME OF FOUR PATIENTS WITH OSTEONECROSIS AFTER ONE-YEAR PAMIDRONATE TREATMENT.

CONTEXT: Osteonecrosis (ON) is bone death caused by inadequate blood supply and its optimal management remains uncertain.

OBJECTIVE

We describe the outcomes of BP (pamidronate) treatment in our patients.

DESIGN

Data regarding clinical, laboratory, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, and bone mineral density measurements (BMD) were recorded before and one year after treatment (reevaluation). The severity of the clinical picture was assessed using the criteria of the common terminology criteria for adverse events (CTCAE).

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

There were four female patients (patient 1, acute lymphoblastic leukemia; patient 2, immune thrombocytopenic purpura; patients 3 and 4, systemic lupus erythematosus) .All of them had been treated with high-dose prednisolone. Clinical picture of all patients were consistent with grade 3 according to CTCAE(: severe symptoms, limiting self-care ).

RESULTS

ON lesions were multifocal in the lower limbs in all of them and none of them had any fractures. All of them had been treated with high-dose glucocorticoid. Patients were treated with pamidronate (1 mg/kg/day, with maximum dose of 60 mg/day, for two days, quarterly). At the time of re-evaluation(one year after treatment), the lesions were stable on MRI, and their clinical condition was consistent with grade 1 according to CTCAE(asymptomatic). No side effects related to the use of bisphosphonates were observed except for increased BMD (SD score of 2.9) in one of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Pamidronate may be an effective treatment for the improvement of functional impairment and pain among patients with severe osteonecrosis (ON) lesions.