Intraosseous thrombosis in ischemic necrosis of bone and osteoarthritis.

It has been proposed that nontraumatic ischemic necrosis of bone (INB) is a result of lipid associated intraosseous thrombosis. A histological study of 15 patients with INB confirmed the presence of intravascular lipid and thrombosis in the vessels of the femoral head. A similar analysis of 11 patients with primary osteoarthritis (OA) showed similar changes at lower levels. These changes were not observed in seven control femoral heads. The possibility that both INB and OA result from intraosseous thrombosis is discussed.