Treatment for avascular necrosis of bone in people with sickle cell disease

Avascular necrosis of bone is a frequent and severe complication of sickle cell disease and its treatment is not standardised. It is therefore important to gather evidence about the safety and effectiveness of different interventions.

To determine the impact of surgery compared to non-surgical management on both the short- and the long-term outcomes (efficacy, safety, and adverse events) for people with sickle cell disease-related avascular necrosis.

We searched the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders Group trials register, which comprises references identified from comprehensive electronic database searches and handsearches of relevant journals and abstract books of conference proceedings. Additional randomized controlled trials were sought from the reference lists of the trials found and reviews identified by the search strategy. Date of the most recent search: April 2004.

All randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials (published or unpublished).

One ongoing clinical trial has been identified but no data are available for inclusion in the review.

Five trials were identified by the searches. Four trials were not eligible for inclusion and one is an ongoing clinical trial.

We were unable to find any evidence from completed randomized controlled trials assessing treatments for avascular necrosis in people with sickle cell disease. We await the results of an ongoing clinical trial to assess the benefits and risks of a surgical approach compared to a non-surgical approach as a means of improving survival and quality of life for people with sickle cell disease-related avascular necrosis of bone.