Extracorporeal shockwave for hip necrosis in systemic lupus erythematosus

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) frequently received corticosteroid therapy, resulting in osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Prior studies demonstrated the effectiveness of extracorporeal shockwave treatment (ESWT) for ONFH.. This study evaluated the effectiveness of ESWT for ONFH in patients with SLE. We studied 39 patients, including 15 patients with SLE (26 hips) and 24 controls (29 hips). To each affected hip we applied ESWT (6000 impulses at 28 kV in a single session). Patients were ambulated with partial weight bearing for 4-6 weeks. The primary endpoint was the need for hip replacement. The secondary endpoints were improvement in hip pain and function and image changes on X-ray and MRI. Patients received total hip replacement in 12% of patients with SLE and in 14% of controls (P = 0.802). There was no statistically significant difference in pain scores (0.86 vs. 0.89; P = 0.467) and function scores (89% vs. 91%; P = 0.194) between patients with SLE and controls. SLE response to ESWT for ONFH is comparable with ONFH in patients without SLE.