Prevalence and risk factors of osteonecrosis of the femoral head in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis: a multicentre cohort study

Damage accrual and predictors of mortality in ANCA-associated vasculitis: a retrospective observational study

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the factors affecting the development of damage and mortality in patients with AAV treated at our tertiary referral center. This retrospective study included data on patients with AAV who fulfilled the Chapel Hill Consensus Conference (CHCC) criteria. Patients were divided into c-ANCA/PR3( +) and p-ANCA/MPO ( +) groups based on ANCA immunofluorescence and/or ELISA results, and relapse, damage, and mortality data were compared across the groups. Data from 254 patients (n = 136, 53.5% female) were included in the analysis. Clinical diagnosis was GPA in 186 (73.2%) and MPA in 68 (26.8%) patients. During the follow-up, 217 of 242 (89.7%) patients developed damage, and the median VDI score of the cohort was 2 (IQR: 2). VDI scores were higher in the first period (1997-2011) than in the second period (2011-2021) in the entire cohort (p = 0.012) and in patients with GPA compared with MPA (p = 0.034). Five-year and overall survival rates were 88.1% and 80.3% in the entire cohort; 87.8% and 81% in c-ANCA/PR3 ( +); 86.2% and 76% in p-ANCA/MPO ( +) (Log-Rank: p = 0.35); 91% and 84.5% in GPA; 81% and 67.2% in MPA patients (Log-Rank: p < 0.001). Development of malignancy, severe infection, and active/persistent disease after the induction phase were associated with higher mortality in patients with AAV. In our AAV cohort, permanent organ damage was detected in the majority of the patients. Although the median VDI score decreased over time, mortality did not change.

Advances in mechanism and management of bone homeostasis in osteonecrosis: a review article from basic to clinical applications

Osteonecrosis, characterized by bone cell death leading to impaired bone recovery, causes challenges in bone homeostasis maintenance. Bone homeostasis relies on the delicate balance between osteoclasts and osteoblasts, encompassing a series of complex and strictly regulated biological functions. Current treatments, including conservative therapies and surgeries, often fall short of expected outcomes, necessitating a reorientation towards more effective therapeutic strategies according to the pathogenesis. In this review, the authors hierarchically outlined risk factors, emerging mechanisms, and last-decade treatment approaches in osteonecrosis. By connecting mechanisms of bone homeostasis, the authors proposed future research directions should be focused on elucidating risk factors and key molecules, performing high-quality clinical trial, updating practice, and accelerating translational potential.

Time elapsed from definitive diagnosis to surgery for osteonecrosis of the femoral head: a nationwide observational study in Japan

OBJECTIVES

This study documents the time elapsed from the diagnosis of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) to surgery, exploring the factors that influence ONFH severity.

DESIGN

Retrospective observational study of a nationwide database.

SETTING

The Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank tests was applied to examine the period from definitive diagnosis of ONFH to surgery using any surgery as the end point. For bilateral cases, the date of the first surgery was the endpoint.

PARTICIPANTS

This study included 2074 ONFH cases registered in 34 university hospitals and highly specialised hospitals of the multicentre sentinel monitoring system of the Japanese Investigation Committee between 1997 and 2018.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

The primary outcome was the time from diagnosis to surgery. The secondary outcome was the proportion of subjects remaining without surgery at 3, 6 and 9 months, and at 1, 2 and 5 years after diagnosis.

RESULTS

The median time to surgery was 9 months (IQR 4-22 months) after diagnosis of ONFH. The time to surgery was significantly shorter in the alcohol alone group and the combined corticosteroid and alcohol group than in the corticosteroid alone group (p=0.018 and p<0.001, respectively), in early stage ONFH with no or mild joint destruction (stages II and III, p<0.001), and with joint preserving surgery (p<0.001). The proportion without surgery was 75.8% at 3 months, 59.6% at 6 months, 48.2% at 9 months, 40.5% at 1 year, 22.2% at 2 years and 8.3% at 5 years.

CONCLUSION

ONFH has been considered to be an intractable disease that often requires surgical treatment, but the fact that surgery was performed in more than half of the patients within 9 months from diagnosis suggests severe disease with a significant clinical impact.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

Chiba University ID1049.