Osteonecrosis after high dosage, short term corticosteroid therapy

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.