Transient osteoporosis of the hip: clinical and imaging features

Transient osteoporosis of the hip is a form of reflex sympathetic dystrophy characterized by pain, limping, limitation of hip joint motion, and delayed radiographic patchy osteoporosis of the proximal femur. Spontaneous resolution is usually paralleled by radiographic recovery, usually within a few months. We present clinical and imaging features in seven cases of unilateral transient osteoporosis of the hip. In the appropriate clinical setting, conventional radiography will support the diagnosis. The role of more sensitive imaging techniques such as bone scintigraphy and magnetic resonance imaging in the early diagnosis of this disease has yet to be defined.