What is a dead bone?

Question:

My husband has arthritis and was told he has a dead bone in his hip that will need surgery. What is this "dead bone" and what's the surgery like to replace it?

Answers:
It may be that the blood supply to your husband's hip is so poor that the bone doesn't get enough blood - so it, in effect, is "dead." It sounds like it would be a total hip replacement - a pretty big surgery, but one done all the time, with good survival rates in most people. Good luck.

The infective process usually begins in the metaphysis. In children the growth plate is rarely affected since there is minimal vascularity in this region. However in adults, the continuity of the metaphysis with the epiphysis allows extension of infection towards the joint. Pus formed during the necrotic process pushes against the periosteum eventually bursting through it. It then tracks towards the skin via muscle and soft tissue to form a sinus from which the pus is discharged. The infarcted bone is called sequestrum. New periosteal bone surrounding dead bone is called the involucrum, and the pores within the involucrum through which pus tracks are called cloacas.

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What is a dead bone?

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