P D Hinduja Hospital, which recently celebrated 60 years in the treatment of patients, has successfully completed the 10 years research for painful Avascular Necrosis (AVN) of Hips under the leadership of Dr Sanjay Agarwala.

Dr Sanjay Agarwala, Chief of Surgery, Head Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Hinduja Hospital has now created another new world record in the treatment for AVN of Hips which is a boon for millions of people around the world. His 10 years research has resulted in this prestigious and significant achievement for patient care.

Avascular necrosis (AVN), also called osteonecrosis, aseptic necrosis, or ischemic bone necrosis, is a condition that occurs when there is loss of blood to the bone. This is because bone is living tissue that requires blood, an interruption to the blood supply causes bone to die. If not stopped, this process eventually causes the bone to collapse. AVN most commonly occurs in the upper leg. Other common sites are the upper arm, knees, shoulder, and ankles.

If AVN left untreated can leads to hip arthritis, which needs surgical intervention like surface replacement or total hip replacement, making a patient suffer besides shelling out a dear sum in the process of ‘fixing’ AVN. Dr Sanjay Agarwala’s path breaking discovery and treatment for AVN of Hips has been not only been talk of the town but also is finding its way into the textbooks. Discovery of this cost effective and efficient treatment method has been published in medical journals including the recent coverage in The Journal of Arthroplasty, prompting the international medical fraternity to consider adapting to the same.

Dr Agarwala has created history of sort by establishing a new hope for all those patients who have painful joints stricken by AVN. Since 10 years Dr Agarwala has successfully used the key drugs Alendronate, a bisphosphonate, in over 400 patients to treat AVN of the hip, thus relieving them from the pain and perhaps avoiding the need for a surgery. Hip is a joint that connects your upper part of the body to the legs and if damaged then the person becomes completely immobile. The drug Alendronate prevents bone resorption and is most commonly and normally used to treat osteoporosis.

Dr Agarwala said, “Avascular Necrosis of the bone is a painful, progressively disabling disorder. The hip (femoral head) is the most common site.  Avascular Necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head is a pathologic process that results from the interruption of blood supply to the bone. Untreated, it progresses to frank hip arthritis needing surgical intervention which is total hip replacement or surface replacement arthroplasty.”

He further added, “The good news for Indian patients is that the cost of this treatment works out to approximately Rs.150 per month and considering that it prevents an expensive Rs.1 lakh surgery and the pain, this is a panacea in the management of these cases.”

In its early stages, AVN typically cause no symptoms; however, as the disease progresses it becomes painful. At first you may experience pain when you put pressure on the affected bone. This pain may become more constant. If the disease progresses the bone and surrounding joint collapse, you may experience severe pain that interferes with your ability to use your joint. The time between the first symptoms and collapse of the bone may range from several months to more than a year.

AVN can occur in the people aged between 20 and 50. For healthy people, the risk of AVN is small. Most cases are the result of an underlying health problem or injury.

Possible causes include: Dislocation or fracture of the thigh bone (femur), chronic corticosteroid use, excessive alcohol use, Gaucher's disease, Sickle cell disease, pancreatitis, HIV infection, radiation therapy or chemotherapy, etc.