Treatment of Osteonecrosis in Children and Adolescents With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Cure rates for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have improved, but as therapy has intensified, the burden of osteonecrosis (ON) has increased. Limited data exist regarding surgical interventions for pediatric ALL patients with ON.

A multi-center cohort of children with newly diagnosed ALL was established with Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) data from 43 freestanding children's hospitals from 1999 to 2011. Patients with ON identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code were followed for up to 5 years after index ALL admission for the presence of ON-associated orthopedic surgical procedures.

A cohort of 10,729 ALL patients was assembled, of which 242 (2.33%) were identified with an ICD-9 code for ON within 5 years of ALL diagnosis. Fifty-five patients (22.7%) with ON underwent orthopedic surgical intervention aimed at joint preservation (82%) or replacement (18%) with substantial practice variation by hospital in both the rate and type of surgical intervention. The majority of patients had surgical procedures while receiving maintenance therapy. None of the patients undergoing surgical intervention required intensive care unit-level care within 14 days of surgery, and there was no associated in-hospital mortality.

No standard of care exists for treatment of ALL-associated ON. While considerable practice variation exists, surgical intervention appears relatively safe.