Related Experiment Videos
Osteonecrosis after high dosage, short term corticosteroid therapy
The Journal of Rheumatology
|August 1, 1984
Insights
High-dose corticosteroids used to reduce brain swelling after neurosurgery for intracranial aneurysms were associated with a rare risk of hip osteonecrosis. Further research is needed to confirm this potential side effect.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Orthopedics
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Intracranial aneurysms are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality.
- Postoperative cerebral edema is a common complication following neurosurgical treatment.
- Corticosteroids are frequently used to manage cerebral edema.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the long-term complication of osteonecrosis in patients treated with high-dose corticosteroids after intracranial aneurysm surgery.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 66 patients who underwent neurosurgical treatment for intracranial aneurysms.
- Patients received high-dose corticosteroids for postoperative cerebral edema.
- Follow-up data was collected at a mean of 50.3 months.
Main Results:
- One out of 44 patients available for follow-up developed bilateral osteonecrosis of the hips.
- This represents a potential complication rate of 2.27% in the followed cohort.
Conclusions:
- High-dose corticosteroid treatment for cerebral edema post-intracranial aneurysm surgery may be associated with an increased risk of osteonecrosis.
- Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm this association and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
Abstract:
A retrospective review was made of 66 patients who had undergone neurosurgical treatment for intracranial aneurysms and who had been treated with high doses of corticosteroids to reduce postoperative cerebral edema. At a mean followup time of 50.3 months, one patient had developed bilateral osteonecrosis of the hips, among 44 who were available for followup.